UN Environment Archives - Solar Heat Europe

Technical Study Report on Measuring Remote Monitoring and Remote controlling for Solar Thermal Systems

The market, media and policy arena often neglect solar thermal, because solar thermal energy is seldom accounted for and the amount of solar thermal heat supplied is neither measured nor displayed in a transparent way. This also results in problems/breakdowns not being spotted quickly. This “Technical study report on measuring, remote monitoring and remote controlling for solar thermal systems” aims at contributing to making measuring, monitoring, and remote controlling more mainstream for smaller systems. Read More...

Technical Study Report on Solar Thermal Technology LCIA Methods and LCC Models

Solar thermal suffers in the market, the media and in the policy arena, because solar thermal energy is often not accounted for, and amounts of solar thermal heat are not transparently measured and displayed. This also leads to problems/malfunctions not being spotted quickly. This “Technical study report on solar thermal technology LCIA methods and LCC models” aims at contributing to the demonstration of the advantages of solar thermal systems, taking the lifecycle into account. This means assessing both environmental and economic benefits of the systems over their operation period. Read More...

Solar Thermal Cooling

The demand for cooling may be driven by different aspects, comfort and refrigeration being the most common uses. In fact, the cooling demand is growing worldwide, even in colder climates, as comfort demand rises. This results in an increase in air conditioning mainly for tertiary buildings but also for residential applications. Refrigeration is increasing as well with a wider variety of use, mainly within the food industry. Read More...

Solar District Heating

District heating is a network providing heat, usually in form of hot water. This heat is mainly used for space heating and for domestic hot water (drinkable water); however, It usually also meets some industrial needs. District heating systems can serve whole cities; when a system is limited to a group of buildings it is referred to as block heating. The main advantage of these systems is that the large district heating plants are more efficient, more economic and create less pollution than decentralized fossil fuel based boilers. Read More...

Domestic Water Heaters for Social Amenities

Domestic hot water refers to the heated water used for domestic purposes. Energy consumption for domestic hot water depends on different factors, namely consumption patterns, how much hot water is used and the increase in water temperature required (difference between the inlet and the outlet temperature). We can consider that, on average, the annual energy consumption for domestic hot water in developed countries is around 1000 kWh per person (1). Read More...

Solar Heat for Industrial Process

When considering industrial needs for heat, usually the first image that comes to mind is that of metallurgy. While some industrial processes require very high temperatures, most of the energy needed for industrial processes requires low or medium-temperature heat. Industrial processes can use low temperature for washing or dyeing textiles. The dairy sector uses heat for washing and pasteurization. Read More...

Domestic Hot Water for Single & Multi-Family Houses

Domestic hot water refers to the heated water used for domestic purposes. Energy consumption for domestic hot water depends on various factors, i.e. consumption patterns: how much hot water is used and the increase in water temperature required (difference between the inlet and outlet temperature). We can consider that, on average, the annual domestic hot water consumption in developed countries is around 1000 kWh per person(1). Read More...

A Strategic Planning Guide for Cities in Developing Countries

As the world’s population continues to move into cities and urban energy demand increases, local offi cials – especially those in developing countries – are increasingly under pressure to address a range of energy, economic, and climate priorities. Cities, for example, produce approximately three quarters of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and account for a similar proportion of the world’s energy demand. Read More...

Guide for Solar Heating & Cooling Awareness Raising Campaigns

This “Guide for solar heating and cooling awareness raising campaigns” serves as a practical guide to assist those actors interested in promoting solar heating and cooling, As such, it addresses the design and implementation of awareness raising campaigns.
This guide is conceived as a chronological step by step approach. Every stage of the campaign (conception to evaluation) and every aspect (design to project management and financing) are covered, and practical tips are proposed for every step. Read More...

Guide on Standardisation and Quality Assurance for Solar Thermal

This “Guide on standardisation and quality assurance for solar thermal” aims at explaining the relevance of quality assurance for a sustainable market development, besides providing an overview of quality assurance measures applied to solar thermal products and installations around the world. It also indicates some possible steps in order to set up a quality assurance system in a country. Read More...

Project Categories: UN Environment