IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme
The International Energy Agency Solar Heating and Cooling Technology Collaboration Programme is one of over 40 multilateral Technology Collaboration Programmes of the International Energy Agency. It was one of the first of such programmes, founded in 1977. Its current mission is "To bring the latest solar heating and cooling research and information to the forefront of the global energy transition..". Its international solar collector statistics Solar Heat Worldwide serves as a reference document for governments, financial institutions, consulting firms and non-profit/non-governmental organizations.
Membership and organization
The IEA SHC's members are national governments, the European Commission and international organizations. Each of the members is represented by one representative in the management body called the executive committee. The IEA SHC Executive Committee meets twice per year and is headed by an elected chairman. The IEA SHC currently has 30 members.Fields of work
Research, development and demonstration
The IEA SHC aims to facilitate international collaboration in the research, development and demonstration of solar heat and solar buildings. Their multi-year projects are conducted by researchers from different countries. Funding is provided by IEA SHC members, who usually pay one or more national research institutions to participate in the work.Research topics include:
- solar water heating and solar air heating, e.g. Solar Hot Water for 2030, Solar and Heat Pump Systems, Solar Combisystems
- solar industrial process heat, e.g. Solar Process Heat, Solar Energy in Industrial Water and Wastewater, Solar Process Heat for Production and Advanced Applications, Solar Heat for Industrial Process
- solar district heating, e.g. Efficient Solar District Heating Systems, Towards the Integration of Large Systems into District Heating and Cooling Network, Large Systems: Large Solar Heating/Cooling Systems, Seasonal Storage, Heat Pumps
- solar cooling, e.g. Solar Cooling for the Sunbelt Regions, New Generation Solar Cooling and Heating Systems, Quality Assurance and Support Measures for Solar Cooling, Solar Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
- solar buildings/architecture, e.g. Low Carbon, High Comfort Integrated Lighting, Solar Energy Buildings, Solar Neighborhood Planning, Solutions for Daylighting & Electric Lighting, Renovating Historic Buildings Towards Zero Energy, Building Integrated Solar Envelope Systems for HVAC and Lighting, Solar Energy and Energy Economics in Urban Environments, Solar Energy in Urban Planning, Solar Renovation of Non-Residential Buildings, Solar Energy and Architecture
- Materials/components for solar heating and cooling, e.g. Compact Thermal Energy Storage Materials, Application of PVT Collectors, Materials & Components for Thermal Energy Storage, Price Reduction for Solar Thermal Systems, Compact Thermal Energy Storage, Polymeric Materials for Solar Thermal Applications
- Regulations, standards & certification, e.g., Life Cycle and Cost Assessment for Heating and Cooling Technologies, Solar Standards and Certification, Solar Rating & Certification Procedure
- Resource assessment, e.g. Solar Resource Assessment and Forecasting, Solar Resource Knowledge Management
SHC conference