Participation in the IEA SHC Task 69 on 'Solar Hot Water for 2030'

The project will define the market status, core technical issues for development, and the train-ings/standards needs for cost-effective and reliable solar water heater technologies (mostly PV solar hot water heating systems). The project will rely heavily on international collaborations among participants from the different IEA SHC member country regions, to consider differences in economic development, solar resources, regulations, and other factors (i.e., GN SEC vs. Europe). A key part of the scope is to investigate ‘smart’ systems and how to overcome barriers to further deployment in different climates and markets. As such, the project will identify opportunities to improve the performance, cost, and reliability of solar water heaters, aiming to accelerate the rollout of best practices for these technologies.

Technical University of Denmark, Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (DTU Construct) has carried out a number of research projects on development of highly efficient solar heating systems. In the proposed task, DTU Construct will review existing standards and certification networks for solar water heating. The emerging new SWH technologies, for example, PV water heaters and smart control strategies, will be evaluated and their suitability and applicability for different regions and operation conditions will be analysed. The carbon footprint calculation and evaluation methods will be evaluated. The training needs for installers and designers and the revision needs of standards and certification networks will be identified. Success stories will be collected and analysed and recommendations on the best SWH technologies will be given for different application scenarios.