Solarserver Archive: professional articles on solar heating

Large-scale solar systems: the sun supplies warm water and supports room heating In co-operation with the BINE Information Service, Solarserver discusses Solar thermal systems for hot water supply and also for the support of heating systems with a collector surface of over 100 square metres and buildings of different types.

Solar Architecture: juwi headquarters featuring the world’s most energy-efficient office building In July 2008 the juwi group relocated its offices to a new building in Wörrstadt, Germany, specially designed by and for a company completely committed to clean energy. Solarserver.com presents the innovative and exemplary energy concept and its components.

Intersolar 2008: the largest solar fair of the world shows the continuously increasing global importance of solar technology For three days visitors at the Intersolar could inform themselves in seven halls about solar power and solar heat. But also production systems and equipment for manufacturers of solar cells and solar modules were presented on a large scale. Industrial equipment manufacturers increasingly contribute to lowering the costs of photovoltaics by creating solutions for the efficient, resource-saving production of solar cells and modules.

Field of solar collectors with a gross surface area of 1.330 m² on the roof of Festo AG & Co. KG in Esslingen.

Solar energy for heating and cooling Festo AG & Co. KG (Esslingen) not only provides solutions for industrial and process automation. It also lives up to its innovation goals with its very own energy concept. At its head offices in Esslingen-Berkheim near Stuttgart in Germany, Festo runs the largest solar adsorption cooling machine of Europe, possibly of the world.

Solar technology fair of international standard.

Intersolar on its way to becoming the Solar World Fair After eight years in Freiburg, Intersolar will be moving to Munich where a surface area of 50 000 m² will provide its 800 exhibitors with ample space to make an international statement in presenting their achievements in the field of solar thermics and photovoltaics as well as solar construction.

Solar thermal in Europe: expanding markets, better political framework conditions and state-of-the-art technical solutions In the forefront of the Solar Thermal Industrial Conference estec 2007 the Solar Report focuses on current developments in the utilisation of solar heat in Europe and highlights new, rapidly expanding markets as well as their political dispensations. The second section reports on technical innovations and provides an insight into current research.

Intersolar 2006: Demand for solar technology greater than ever.

Intersolar 2006: Solar technology and demand at an all-time high The solar industry is growing rapidly and steadily – and with it in tandem also the international Intersolar Fair. The exhibition area of this leading European solar technology fair was expanded by 50 % in comparison to the previous year; on 26 000 square metres companies from 27 countries presented new products to the international solar industry.

Electricity and heat from the sun and salad oil The engineering graduate from Stuttgart, Martin Bucher, operates a power station, from in his own house, that heats the building as well as the indoor swimming pool throughout the year and, in addition, generates electricity for approximately six families. The combined vegetable oil Heat and Power Unit (CHP) is run with cold-pressed canola (salad oil) from farmers of the region. Addi-tional heat is provided by solar thermal collectors on the roof.

Sun installation in the German Museum of Technology in Berlin.

Cooling with Solar Heat: Growing Interest in Solar Air Conditioning Summer sun, which heats up offices, also delivers the energy to cool them. The thermal use of solar energy offers itself: Days that have the greatest need for cooling are also the very same days that offer the maximum possible solar energy gain. The demand for air conditioning in offices, hotels, laboratories or public buildings is considerable.

Thermal solar heaters can reduce the yearly energy demand of a modern single-family home by about 25 %.

Solar Thermal Combination Systems: An Asset for Every New Building Solar thermal systems can cover a large part of the needed energy to heat potable water. In the summer the heating remains off: The solar heating system delivers enough heat for bathing, showering and washing machines from May to August. Throughout the remainder of the year the energy demand for warm water remains about the same. Even small solar thermal heaters reach efficiencies from 50 % to 65 %.

Photovoltaic System for three Houses at Sansinbar.

Trade Fair Intersolar 2001 Presents World Wide Solar Technology for the First Time The international trade fair and conference for solar technology, Intersolar 2001, held for the second time in Freiburg from 6th until 8th July in Germany, takes place against an increasingly international trade for solar technology. The special exhibition "Solar Technology for the World Market" presents for the first time products suitable exclusively for applications inside and outside of Europe.

Parabolic trough power plant in Spain (Plataforma Solar de Almeria)

Solar Thermal Technologies in the United States
Approximately, 3% of the total energy consumed by the United States is used in heating water both in residential and commercial applications. Houses in the United States usually have standard tanks between 60 to 120 gallons. They can be easily retrofitted for solar thermal systems. Approximately 1.5 million homes have been fitted with solar thermal systems and 6000 are added each year.

Local Solar Heating Systems for the Eco-City
Concepts in city planning are being increasingly developed, in which the provision of renewable energy in housing developments is playing a main role. However, in comparison to the design of individual one-family houses, solar collectors for entire villages are still rarely planned. The Federal German Government gave the starting shot for 7 pilot programs with the Sponsorship program " Solar Heat 2000".

Summer Sun all Winter: Seasonal Heat Reservoir covers heating needs up to 100 % A heat reservoir which almost completely bridges the gap between the overabundance of solar heat in summer and the need for warmth in winter was awarded the Innovation Prize Berlin/Brandenburg 1999. The "Sorption Reservoir" was developed over several years by the UFE SOLAR company in Eberswalde, Germany, together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE).