The Solar Thermal Applications workshop 24 - 25 March, 2009

1. Introduction
to Solar Thermal Applications
Gerhard Stryi-Hipp
Consultant
Head Energy Policy, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE
Chairman, European Renewable Heating & Cooling Technology Platform RHC-ETP
Former Managing Director, German Solar Industry Association BSW-Solar
Contact: gerhard.stryi-hipp@ise.fraunhofer.de
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 1

2. Brent Crude Oil price increased
„We should leave oil before it leaves us“ from $50 (Jan 2007) to
$147 (July 2008) per barrel –
Fatih Birol, chief economist IEA, March 2008 and dropped to $40 (Feb 2009)
Very Good Reasons to Change our
Energy Supply System Source: Societe Generale
• ENERGY SUPPLY IS NOT SECURE
Energy import dependency is increasing
strongly
• FOSSIL AND NUCLEAR ENERGY SOURCES
ARE FINITE
Growing demand and limited resources lead to
exploding energy prices
• CLIMATE CHANGE REQUIRES ACTION
Climate change is mainly caused by fossil
energy consumption, we must reduce CO2-
emissions worldwide CO2-Concentration is growing
continuously (IPCC 2007)
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 2

3. The Sustainable Solution: Mix of Renewable Energies
Quelle: Wagner & Co
Quelle: Solarwatt
Only Renewable Energy Sources
• are everlasting
• are „domestic“ energy sources SOLAR
• are sustainable THERMAL
• do not harm the climate PHOTOVOLTAICS ENERGY
• are becoming increasingly cheaper
• increase domestic and regional added value
• are creating jobs
Challenges for RES are WIND ENERGY BIOMASS
• the financing of investments as long as RES are
more expensive than fossil and nuclear energy
BIOMASS
• the reconstruction of the energy supply system HYDRO
to a distributed generation system based on RES
ENERGY
Quelle: Aus BMU, Daten EE, Juni 2007
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 3

4. Basis of the German Success in Renewable Energy Sources:
A Clear and Continous Policy to Increase the Share of RES
Development of the share of Renewable Energy Sources in final energy consumption
Source: German Federal Ministry for Environment, March 2008
30
30 year
1998 2000
25 2002 2004
2006 2007
2020 target
20
RES share in %
18
14,2 14
15
8,5
10
6,6
4,8 3,5 3,1
5
2020
1998
2000
2002
2006
2007
2004
0
electricity heating & cooling final energy
consumption
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 4

5. Solar Thermal Energy: Underestimated Source of Power
Source: IEA-SHC
Solar Heat Worldwide,
Edition 2008,
www.iea-shc.org
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 5

6. World Solar Thermal 2 USA 3 Germany 4 Australia;
1099 MWth 6% 1071 MWth 6% 505 MWth; 3%
Markets 2006 5 Turkey
Remarks 490 MWth; 3%
China: mostly vacuum tube 6 India
thermosyphon systems 350 MWth; 2%
USA: mostly unglazed 7 Brazil
plastic absorber 304 MWth; 2%
Central Europe: 8 France
mostly glazed forced 211 MWth; 1%
circulated systems 9 Austria
210 MWth; 1%
10 Japan
1 China 11 Greece
12600 MWth 12 Israel
69%
13 Italy
14 Spain
Newly installed 15 Taiwan
in 2006: 16 Mexico
26.1 Mio m² = 17 Sth Africa
18.3 GWth 18 Switzerld
ROW 19 Canada
Source: IEA-SHC, Solar Heat Worldwide
Edition 2008, www.iea-shc.org
299 MWth; 2% 20 Cyprus
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 6

7. Status of the Use of
Solar Thermal Energy in Europe
• Mainly in use in Europe:
solar domestic hot water systems
• Growing share of combined systems for DHW and
room heating support in Central Europe
(especially in Austria, Germany, France)
• Growing number of Collective (large) systems for
multi family houses, hotels, hospitals etc.
• Plastic absorber for swimming pools are in use in
Central Europe
• Several solar district heating systems with and
without seasonal storage are used in Central and
Northern Europe
• Some pilot plants for process heating are working
• About 200 pilot plants for solar thermal assisted
cooling are installed in Europe
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 7

8. Poland
European Solar Thermal Markets 2007 47 MWth; 2%
Switzerland
France 46 MWth; 2%
Spain 179 MWth
184 MWth 9% Cyprus
Italy 46 MWth; 2%
10% 172 MWth UK
Austria 9% 38 MWth; 2%
197 MWth
Belgium
10%
29 MWth; 2%
Sweden
Greece 18 MWth; 1%
198 MWth Czech Rep.
10% 18 MWth; 1%
Portugal
18 MWth; 1%
European Germany
Denmark
658 MWth
Market 2007: 34%
16 MWth; 1%
2.7 Mio m² Netherlands
1.9 GWth 14 MWth; 1%
Source: ESTIF/BSW Ireland
Rest of EU
33 MWth; 2% 11 MWth; 1%
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 8

9. Development of the German Solar Thermal Market
2200
Market Data 2008 2000
Annually installed collector area in 1.000 m
Newly installed: 1,470 MWth = 2.1 Mio m²
1800
Total installed: 7,900 MWth = 11.3 Mio m²
Turn over: ca. 1.8 Mrd Euro 1600
No of jobs: ca. 25,000 1400
Share of vacuum tubes coll.: ca. 12%
1200
Growth rate: + 123%
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Source:
Flat plate collectors Vacuum tube collectors Trend 18% growth rate annually BSW-Solar/BDH
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 9

10. Standard System for Domestic Hot Water Production
Typical data for Germany Typical data for
(4-person household) Southern Europe
• Forced circulation •Thermosyphon system
• 5-6m² collector area •2-4 m² collector area
• 300-400 l. solar storage tank
•80-150 l. storage tank
• Costs ~ €4,000 – 5,000
incl. installation •Natural circulation
Flat-plate or vacuum
tube collector
Solar station
with controls Water
and circulation storage tank Water boiler:
pump oil, gas
new: wood pellets
rarely: elec. power
Cold water inlet
Market share in Germany: 55%
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 10

11. DHW system with
flat-plate collectors (left) and
vacuum tube collectors (right)
in German single-family homes
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 11

12. Typical Solar Thermal Combi System
Solar station with
controls and
circulation pump
Flat-plate or vacuum tube collector
Combined solar thermal system for DHW Dom. hot
and auxiliary room heating (typical for water
Austria, Germany, France) storage Boiler
• 8-15m² collector area Combi storage
• 500-1,000 liters combined storage
• Costs ~ €10,000 – 15,000 Heating
circuits
• Forced circulation system
Buffer storage
Cold water inlet
Market share in Germany: 45%
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 12

13. Left: combined solar thermal system for DHW and room heating support
Right: PV system, combined with skylights
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 13

14. Special Know-how in Large Scale Solar Thermal Systems
Large solar thermal systems for multi
family houses, hotels, hospitals, nursing
homes etc. must to be designed well
German companies have a lot of
experience and offer matured systems
Image: Solvis Image: Wagner & Co
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 14

15. Old People's Home in Jena - 240 m² Collector Surface
Source: Solvis
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 15

16. Housing Estate in Rostock
• 11 apartment blocks
• 1,300 m² roof surface
• 1,000 m² active
collector surface
Source: Solvis
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 16

17. Promising Technology:
Solar Assisted Cooling
• Solar thermal driven cooling machines
• Cooling demand and solar supply are fitting well
• There are already more than 200 pilot systems
installed in Europe
• Small systems for office buildings and
one/two-family houses are under development
Adsorption cooling machine
Bundespresseamt Berlin IHK Freiburg
Source: Viessmann
Source: Fraunhofer ISE
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 17

18. Solar District Heating will
play a big role in the future
© Solites
Semi-detached houses in Neckarsulm, Germany
© Solites
Solar disctrict heating, Marstal, Denmark
17,000 m² collector area © Arcon 12,000 m³ seasonal storage, Friedrichshafen, Germany
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 18

19. Large Scale Solar Thermal Heating and Cooling
Example: Austria
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 19

20. Solar Thermal Vision 2030
The European Renewable Heating & Cooling
Technology Platform RHC-ETP developed
following vision for solar thermal energy
New buildings
100% solar heated buildings will be
the building standard
Existing building stock
Solar refurbished buildings,
> 50% solar heated, will be the most cost
effective way to refurbish the building stock
Industrial and agricultural applications
solar thermal systems will cover
process heating and cooling demands
Overall goal:
Cover 50% of the low temperature need
up to 250°C with solar thermal
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 20

21. The aim for 2020: 1 m² collector per inhabitant in Europe
Total installed solar thermal power in Europe
• Increase the market volume from 2 to 80 GWth
(3 to 110 Mio m², about 30 Bln Euro turnover)
2020: 340 GWth = 1 m²/inhabitant
⇒ Average market growth: 34% annually
• Increase the total installed ST power from 13 to 340 GWth
⇒ Factor 25 in power and energy production by ST
⇒ Capacity building in industry and R&D
⇒ Innovations
⇒ Cost reduction
13
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 21

22. The long term goal:
50% of the heat demand covered by solar thermal energy
Heat demand in EU25
5000
TWh
4500
Efficiency:
• Increase the total installed ST power -40%
from 13 to 2400 GWth 4000
⇒ Factor 185 in installed ST power and 3500
energy production
3000
fossil/
⇒ Cost reduction 2500 nuclear
other
⇒ Building up capacities 2000 RES
⇒ Innovations 1500
1000
solar
500
0
RES = Renewable Energy Sources 2004 2030-2050
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 22

23. Strategic Research Agenda (SRA)
• Objective: The SRA describes the
R&D topics in detail which are
necessary to bring the Solar Thermal
Vision into reality
• The SRA is the result of the work of
all working groups of RHC-ETP over
2 years
• The SRA was published
in December 2008
• The SRA is the first comprehensive
overview about R&D topics in the field
of solar thermal energy
Download: www.esttp.org
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 23

24. New Buildings
100% solar heated buildings
will become the building standard
Components:
• the entire roof is covered by solar collectors Image: Schüco
– Solar thermal and photovoltaics
• the facade is used to harvest
solar energy
• seasonal heat storage
• active heating system
• compact units for solar heating
and cooling
• very well insulated
Image: Sun Pro
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 24

25. Vision Existing Building Stock: Active Solar Renovation
Cheapest way of renovation
• >70% of heat demand is covered
by solar thermal energy
• Renovation with multi function
modules for roof and facade:
– Insulation and solar collector
– Solar thermal (air and liquid)
and Photovoltaic modules
• Seasonal storage
• Solar assisted cooling
• Remaining heat demand will be
covered by wood pellets or district
heating with renewable energy
Image: Schüco
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 25

26. Example: Air Collector Facade
In future the building envelope is not only used for protection
and aesthetics but also for absorption of solar energy and
therefore supplying the building with energy
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo Image: Grammer Solar und26
Bau

27. Key component: the solar thermal collector
Solar safety glass
Air collector
Solar PV cells
Ribbed absorber
Insulation Intake opening
Exhaust opening
Source: Grammer Solar
Source:
Wagner & Co Evacuated tube collector
Flat plate collector
Source: Solvis
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 27

28. Continuous improvements in the Solar Thermal Technology
© alanod, sunselect
© Solarflex
© Aeroline tube systems
Selective absorber coating
Improved piping
© KBB Kollektorbau
© Wilo
New collector design High efficient solar pumps
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 28

29. Solar Thermal Innovations in Europe
• Stratified, seasonal, and latent heat storage tanks
• Anti-reflective glass
• Sputter process for absorber coating
• New collector types (improved functionality and design)
• Improved piping connecting collectors and storage tanks
• Control system technology, heat transfer fluids, solar pumping
• Solar cooling, high-temperature collectors
• …
Targets
• Higher solar fraction of heat supply in buildings
• Higher efficiency at lower costs
• Improved integration into the heating system and the building
envelope
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 29

30. Market Success Factors
• Interest from the public
Is growing due to climate change, resource
shortages, increasing energy prices
• Solar Awareness Campaigns
• Stable market deployment instruments
Subsidy programs, solar ordinance
• Attractive products
Reliable, high solar fraction, nice design, nice
price must be available
• Active solar thermal companies
Solar and heating companies must offer
solar thermal systems actively
• Commitment from installers
Installers have to offer solar systems actively and
must be trained in solar thermal
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 30

31. Subsidy Programs in Germany
1) Grants for solar thermal systems for glazed collectors in the
„Marktanreizprogramm“ (market entrance program)
– 60 €/m² collector area for DHW systems, minimum 410 € per system
– 105 €/m² collector area for combined systems for DHW and room heating support
⇒ About 15% of the investment costs are given as grants
2) Interest reduced loans for solar thermal systems and renovation of
heating equipment by the state owned bank KfW
3) Obligation for new buildings – Renewable heating law started 2009
– Owner of new buildings are obliged to use renewable energy to cover their heating
demand. They fullfil the requirement, if they cover
• 15% or more of their heat demand by solar thermal energy or
• 50% or more of their heat demand by solid biomass (e.g. Pellets), liquid biomass (e.g.
bio heating oil) or heating pumps
• 30% or more of their heat demand by biogas used in combined heat and power units
– In case of solar thermal, the requirement is fulfilled if
• 0.04 m² collector area is installed per m² living area (1/2 family residential homes)
• 0.03 m² collector area is installed per m² living area (other residential buildings)
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 31

32. Important aspects which influences ST markets
… and differs a lot from market to market
• Climate conditions
• Technologies
– Conventional
heating equipment
– Quality requirements
• Architecture/Design
• Financial aspects
– Purchasing power
– Subsidy schemes
– Energy costs
• Market structure
– Distribution paths
– Installers: education,
ability to sell solar
• Environmental awareness of the
people
• …
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 32

33. Conclusions and outlook
• Europe is the second largest Solar Thermal market
worldwide with about 4 Mio m² collector area installed
annually in 2008
• Europe and especially Austria and Germany are
leading countries worldwide regarding solar thermal
energy components and systems technology
• The European solar thermal industry and R&C sector build
up a Renewable Heating & Cooling Technology
Platform and aims to cover 50% of the overall heat
demand by 2030 with solar thermal energy
• In order to develop a solar thermal market, all aspects
must be developed in parallel: industry, public
awareness, subsidies, products, installation capacity
• We would love to work together to increase the share
of solar thermal energy in the MENA region as well
Status Solar Thermal Energy, March 24th, Cairo 33

34. Thank you very much for your attention
Visitor centre in a Bavarian nature reserve: 100% solar March 24th, Cairo
Status Solar Thermal Energy, supply Image: Sun-Pro
34