SOLARGE Best Practice Catalogue en

Solar Heat for
Large Buildings
Guidelines and Practical
Examples for Apartment
Buildings, Hotels and
Business
This publication was compiled
as part of the EU SOLARGE project
Foreword
Rising oil and gas prices, climate change and

growing energy import dependency place our
current energy supply arrangements under
increasing threat. A major challenge for the
future is to cut fossil fuel use to a minimum.
About a third of Europe’s final energy con-
sumption is accounted for by space and water
heating in buildings. Conserving energy and
using renewables in this sector can reap mas-
sive cost savings and are an efficient way to
help slow climate change.
This brochure is intended for building planners
in the residential building, hotel and local
government sector who aim to make buildings
ready for the solar age. It presents examples of
large solar thermal systems across Europe
together with experience gathered in operat-
ing them.
The brochure has been produced as part of the
European SOLARGE project, in which eleven
organisations from eight countries around
Europe use a wide range of measures to pro-
mote solar thermal systems in apartment buil-
dings, hotels and municipal facilities. The
examples are intended to encourage similar
projects and invite replication.
The SOLARGE Team

www.solarge.org
Contents
Foreword Y 3 Best Practice Catalogue Y 24
Large Solar Thermal Systems Y 6 Hot Water Systems Y 26
Fields of Application Y 8 Hot Water and

Space Heating Sytems Y 50
Components Y 10
Other Applications Y 64
System Approaches Y 14
Heating Circuits Y 16 Outlook Y 68
Costs of Solar Thermal Y 18 Publisher's Information Y 70

Systems
Planning Procedure Y 20
Solar Air Conditioning in Y 22

a Nutshell
Technical Basics
Large Solar Thermal Systems
The great majority of solar thermal systems Solar thermal: market development
now in use belongs to detached or semi- The use of solar thermal heating has spread
detached houses. rapidly in recent years. Solar systems with a
But solar thermal systems are increasingly total collector area of some 19 million square
being used in larger buildings: apartment metres are now installed across Europe. This
blocks, hotels and catering establishments, impressive figure shows the technology has
and public buildings. long matured and is established in the market.
Many large systems are already installed in The European Solar Thermal Industry Federation
Europe. The experience gained with these (ESTIF) forecasts that total installed collector
systems is so positive that many operators area will increase by 30 % a year over the long
are planning more systems. term. However, market penetration varies
One important lesson learnt is that the design greatly between different EU states.
of large solar systems cannot be standardised.
Each system must be individually designed,
taking into account the circumstances and
user needs. A task and a challenge for all
architects and engineers involved.
Electricity 15 GWth GWth/a Growth of solar

20 %
6 Heat 10 1.5
thermal energy
in Europe
49 %
Solar thermal
Transport energy is booming.
31 % 5
Over 19 million
square metres
About half of final 0 0 (13.5 GWth) of solar
97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 collectors were in
energy consump-
tion is used in in operation
operation across
generating heat, newly installed
Europe by 2006.
most of it for buil- Source: ESTIF
dings.
p
Flat plate collectors
Photo: Conergy
Technical Basics
Fields of Application
Solar thermal energy can be used wherever Public buildings

low-grade heat is needed: For hot water, to
Sports facilities, old people’s homes and swim-
supplement space heating, and to generate
ming pools are generally well suited to solar
process heat for thermally driven air conditio-
thermal energy because they need hot water
ning systems.
in large quantities. As administrative buildings
Solar thermal systems can supplement the
mostly only need space heating, solar thermal
supply of heat to buildings in summer, late
systems are not suitable for such buildings
spring and early autumn.
unless air conditioning is required.
Apartment buildings Hotels and restaurants

Large solar thermal systems on apartment Hotels are very well suited to the use of solar
buildings in Europe are mostly used to provide thermal energy because they tend to be
hot water. In central and northern regions of busiest in the summer months and in late
Europe there is also a trend towards ‘combi- spring and early autumn.
systems’ that supplement space heating. Solar energy is also useful to hotels and
restaurants as a marketing instrument to
attract environment-conscious tourists.
Apartment building, Salzburg, Austria Hotel du Golf de Valescure, France

Photo: S.O.L.I.D./Austria Solar
Car wash Center in
Oberursel, Germany
Photo: Wagner-Solar.com
Swimming pools Car washes

Solar water heating in hotels combines ex- Solar thermal systems provide a simple way of
cellently with water heating for swimming heating water for car washes. Heating the
pools. Surplus heat is easily transferred to water also saves on detergent. It may make
pool water, improving user comfort at no extra sense to connect repair shops and showrooms
energy cost. into the solar system to smooth heat demand
over time.
Solar air conditioning
Hotels and restaurants often have large air Solar thermal energy for contractors
conditioning needs, as do as hospitals and Solar thermal energy is also attractive as a
public buildings. Solar thermal energy can product for energy suppliers and contractors.
be used here in existing thermally driven air They can install collectors on factory, ware-
conditioning systems. house and residential roofs or on spare land
and sell the generated heat to consumers or
a district heating network. This makes for
predictable energy prices and stable heat
generation costs for district heat, in both cases
for the long term.
50 m Overnight stays in 2003
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Bed occupancy
Solar power
Bed occupancy and solar power

UPC Arena Graz, Austria:
In many hotels (chart: Germany)
Local heat management contracted to nahwaerme.at
hot water consumption tracks solar
Photo: S.O.L.I.D./ESTIF
energy availability over the year.
Source: Federal Statistical Office 2005
Technical Basics
Components
Collectors and Storage tanks
Collectors
A roof-mounted solar collector captures
sunlight and converts it into heat. The unit’s
absorber has what is called a selective surface
coating, allowing it to convert even diffuse or
winter day solar radiation into heat energy
with high efficiency. The collector is protected
by tempered glass which can withstand even
hailstones.
Collectors can be mounted on a flat or pitched
roof, integrated into the roof cladding or
installed as part of the building’s facade.
Most modern solar thermal

systems use flat plate or vacuum
tube collectors. The required system
temperatures as well as the moun-
ting mode determine the type of
collector.
Collector types overview

Collector Type Heat Transfer Medium Applications
10 Air collector Air Preheating for factory shed air-drying systems, ‘open’ air conditioning
systems, and solar drying
Glazed flat-plate collector Water or Hot tap water, space heating, so-called ‘open’ and ‘closed’ single-stage
water-glycol mixture air conditioning/chiller systems and preheating of industrial
processes
Vacuum tube collector Water or Hot tap water, space heating, single-stage and two-stage air conditioning/
(direct flow) water-glycol mixture chiller systems and preheating of industrial processes
Vacuum tube collector Indirect heating of the Hot tap water, space heating, single-stage and two-stage air conditioning/
(heat pipe) heat transfer medium chiller systems and preheating of industrial processes
(Water or water-glycol
mixture)
Heat storage Seasonal storage
Short-term storage Seasonal thermal storage is mostly used in
Short-term storage units store captured solar district heating networks and can retain heat
heat for several days to make up for rainy for several weeks. There are hot water, gravel/
weather. Good temperature stratification is an water, borehole and aquifer systems.
important factor in such units. They are there- Hot water tanks used in seasonal heat storage
fore made tall and slender so stable strata are several thousand cubic metres in volume.
spanning a large temperature range can be Seasonal storage is mostly used in residential
built up over their height. Collector return flow areas with hundreds of individual apartment
temperatures should be as low as possible. buildings, but latterly as well as in separate
This is a precondition for high system efficien- apartment buildings. Seasonal storage allows
cy. Solar thermal energy can be made to cover solar energy to meet up to 100 % of total heat
up to 30 % of total heat demand. demand.
Solar thermal storage tanks 100 % solar-heated apartment building (under construct-
ion), by Jenni Energietechnik – completed in August 2007
Photo: Jenni Energietechnik AG, Switzerland
Seasonal thermal storage technologies
Borehole heat storage Gravel/water heat storage Aquifer heat storage

Solar heat is transferred to Pits lined with special This form of storage uses
the ground via boreholes sheeting are filled with a groundwater to store thermal
20–100 metres deep and is gravel/water mixture. The energy. Groundwater raised
drawn upon as needed. Due heat is transported to the from a borehole is warmed by
to the lower thermal capacity store by the water itself a heat exchanger and then
of soil, the stores are general- or through coiled pipes. returned to the aquifer via a
ly three to five times larger Gravel/water storage has second borehole. The heat is
than hot water units. How- a lower heat capacity than recovered by reversing the
ever they are less complicated straight hot water storage flow. The cost per unit heat
to build and can be extended units and needs a bigger generated is relatively low,
as needed. No direct contact volume (about one and a but such systems require
with groundwater is an ad- half times). specific hydrogeological con-
vantage . ditions which do not exist
everywhere.
Technical Basics
Components
Additional elements
Heat exchanger Control

The solar heat captured by the collector is Obtaining the maximum energy yield from a
transferred to the heating circuit by a heat solar thermal system critically depends on the
exchanger. On large solar thermal systems efficient interaction of all system components.
this is usually an external unit. The control system is highly important in this
The heat exchanger hydraulically separates regard.
the different circuits so each one can be A closed-loop control system controls both the
optimally run. heating and collector circuit. This means that
Heat exchangers are also used in what are both the solar thermal system and the supple-
known as fresh water stations. These heat mentary heating system are run at optimum
mains water separately in each apartment, resource levels. Modern closed-loop control
using the heating circuit as heat source. This systems have a heat meter and in some cases
is a cost-effective system because there remote diagnostics. These allow subsequent
is no need for protection against legionella adjustment of the solar system and consider-
or for additional pipework to distribute hot ably simplify troubleshooting and
water. billing for heating costs.
Freely programmable controllers are also avail-
able. These allow the operation of the solar
system to be adapted to the individual load
profile on the fly .
A well coordinated control of solar and auxiliary

heating system is essential for a proper functio-
ning.
12
Centralised heat control station for solar and conven-

tional heat
Photo: Upmann, Berlin
Auxiliary heating
The supplementary heat supply can be ar-
ranged within the building centrally or on a
decentralised basis. It can be integrated in
series or in parallel.
The supplementary heat supply can be inte-
grated in various ways depending on the
situation in the building and the design of the
heating and/or hot water system. Technical
solutions are available to meet a wide range
of needs.
A solar thermal system with

decentralised heat storage tanks
and auxiliary heating in Spain –
El Llimonet
Photo: Qualitat Promocions
Technical Basics
System Approaches
Reflecting differences in culture and climate, Solar hot water supply

solar thermal systems are utilised in widely When used to supply hot water, solar thermal
differing ways across Europe. Most systems in systems generally meet up to 60 % of the
Southern Europe are used for supplying hot respective heat demand. Hot water supply is
water. Those in Northern Europe often have a either centralised via a circulating pipe or
central heat storage unit and additionally pro- decentralised with a hot water unit in each
vide supplementary heating, but there is also a apartment.
trend towards district heating networks in There are also systems (mostly in Spain) with
which conventional heat sources are boosted decentralised storage tanks and supplement-
by solar thermal energy in late spring and ary heating units. Supplementary heating
early autumn. takes the form of the boiler station in each
The greatest system differences can be found apartment supplied by a central collector field.
in heat distribution in apartment buildings. In centralised systems, protection against
This can be done via the collector circuit, using legionella is ensured by heating the standby
heat transfer units in individual apartments, or tank once a day to 60 °C. There is no need to
centrally via circulating pipes. protect decentralised systems in this way due
to the short distance from heat exchanger to
Frostproofing and tapes.”
overheating protection
Collectors are generally prevented from freez- Space heating/combisystems
ing in winter by adding antifreeze. Where the Solar supported space heating can be imple-
heat transportation medium is pure water mented in centralised and decentralised
(mandatory in the Netherlands), frost protec- heating systems. Approx. 10-30 % (in some
tion is provided by a drain-back system. cases even more) of the entire heat demand
Control and safety features protect systems will be covered by solar combisystems. How
from overheating when there is no demand/ the solar system is integrated depends on
no flow through the system, as in summer. solar system design and the building's heating
system.
14
Photo: Pracatinat, Fenestrelle, Italy Photo: Neuhof-Canonniers, Strasbourg, France
Overheating protection during the summer and frostproofing in winter is essential for safe and steady operation.
Reliable and approved features from experienced planners and system providers ensure a well-protected CSTS for
both extremes.
Solar systems in new buildings Refurbishment
In a new building, solar thermal technology Exact design and dimensioning is also impor-
can be planned as an integral part of the heat- tant for solar thermal systems fitted during
ing system to optimise overall energy supply. building modernisation. It is helpful to collect
Planners have a free hand in deciding how col- data on hot water consumption beforehand.
lectors are integrated into the building (for Installing solar thermal systems during refur-
example by making them part of the roof clad- bishment usually means integrating them into
ding or the building’s facade) and the spatial existing heating and hot water systems. It
arrangement of heat storage and control often makes sense to replace any auxiliary
units. Boiler, solar thermal and heat storage heating at the same time, and to dimension
capacity can also be matched to actual needs. both the boiler and the storage to match the
Centralised supply systems are usually chosen system as a whole.
for new buildings as the capital cost per unit is
lower than decentralised systems.
Backup for conventional heating
However, hot water consumption – a key
system design parameter – is relatively hard to Boilers or heat pumps are available to meet
estimate for a new building. Standardised con- any supply demand when collector output is
sumption figures usually overestimate actual too low. Solar thermal systems can be com-
consumption. Exact knowledge of future heat bined with generally available conventional
loads is essential. heating systems.
Many manufacturers of conventional heating
systems offer complete control units to run
their systems in combination with solar ther-
mal technology.
Storage for solar heat can be centralised or
decentralised according to the heating and
hot water system. When retrofitting, existing
storage tanks can be kept and supplemented
with the solar heat storage unit.
Estimate hot water needs

as accurately as possible
Economic operation of a solar thermal system
depends on accurate dimensioning to supply
the required amount of hot water. If actual
consumption is below estimate, the system
is overdimensioned. If the storage unit is full
but no hot water is used, no more heat can be
taken from the solar collector even though the
sun continues to shine. Harvested solar energy
then goes unused. One solution here is to 382 dwellings provided with solar heat - see example
connect more heat-utilising units to the solar on page 52 for further information.
Photo: Schalkwijk, Haarlem, Netherlands
circuit.
Technical Basics
Heating Circuits
Central heating systems Fresh water units/

Solar thermal systems can be integrated semi-decentralised systems
particularly easily into central heating and hot Fresh water units are a third option for inte-
water systems. A conventional two or four-pipe grating solar thermal energy. Heat transfer
system may be used. Storage, control and stations provide heat for hot water in each
supplementary heating are centralised. apartment. The heat source is usually the
heating circuit. However, this requires high
Decentralised systems temperatures in the heat circuit. Fresh water
In a decentralised system, the hot water is units are therefore only suitable in buildings
preheated by a common collector field. heated by radiators with an appropriate tem-
Supplementary heating and solar heat storage perature range.
are provided by decentralised boiler units.
Boiler room with solar heat storage tanks and control Fresh water unit in a building's two-pipe heating net-
unit work. Apartment building in Salzburg.
Photo: Sonnenkraft, Munich, Germany Photo: gswb Salzburg
16
Solar heat storage, auxiliary heating unit and control

unit in each flat in an apartment building in Spain.
Photo: Vèrtix
Schematic diagram
Integration of a solar thermal system
Serially connected Parallel-connected

tap water tap water and buffer
charging system
Bivalent hot tap

water heat storage
Backup heated
buffer storage
also as
tank-in-tank
system
Serial backup
heating
Backup heated *
tap-water storage
* also as fully Collectors

decentralised system
Storage tank
Hot water units

Boiler
Heat
exchanger
Load
Planning
Costs of Solar Thermal Systems
A solar thermal system (including pipework, Planning scenario 3:

storage unit, control system and system design) Compliance with legal requirements
currently costs between EUR 700 - 1,200 per Another planning objective can be to reduce
m2 of collector area. The costs vary according a building’s primary energy factor and hence
to the collector type, the situation of the build- its system input/output ratio to comply with
ing, and the design philosophy used to opti- legislation like Germany’s Energy Saving
mise the system. The following list shows Ordinance (EnEV) or Spanish Building Codes.
some typical planning scenarios:
Cost-effectiveness
Planing scenario 1: The cost-effectiveness of a solar thermal
Maximum energy saving system is mostly determined by three factors:
This planning objective can be attained with capital cost, energy output and oil price trends.
a solar fraction (solar energy as a fraction of Furthermore, considering synergies raises the
total energy) equalling 30–100 % of the ener- economics of solar thermal systems. Example:
gy needed for hot water and space heating. Additional savings can be achieved by making
Heating costs and greenhouse gas emissions flat plate part of a facade or roof. Due to their
are reduced for the long term. construction, flat plate collectors can serve a
dual purpose as a heat source and a replace-
Planning scenario 2: ment for thermal insulation.
Reduced heat generation costs
With a solar fraction of 10–20 % (including hot Dynamically rising prices for oil and gas tend
water and space heating), the solar system to improve the cost-effectiveness of solar heat.
can operate at maximum output. This mini-
mises the costs of solar heat generation and The profitability of a system is enhanced by
the payback period. The solar fraction may be further options, e. g. combining civil works,
higher for some apartment buildings and can allocations etc. Experienced planners take all
reach 50 % for some district heating networks. this into account.
18
Dimensioning solar thermal systems
Hot water only
Meeting 50 % of the annual energy needs for
hot water requires a collector area of 1–1.5 m2
per apartment and about 50–60 l of solar heat
storage per m2 of collector surface.
Combisystems
Systems combining hot water supply with
supplementary heating require roughly 3–4 m2
of flat plate collectors per apartment. The heat-
ing will then be about 15–20 % solar-assisted.
Solar district heating networks

Solar district heating networks need about
10–30 m2 of flat plate collectors per apartment
(solar fraction approx. 50 %). That is about 1.5–
2.5 m2 of flat plate collectors and 2- 5 m2 of
storage volume per 1,000 kWh annual heat
demand.
Annual global irradiation [kWh/(m2 · a)]
1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000

Planning
Planning Procedure
Solar thermal systems for large buildings are Preliminary planning checklist
always tailor-made. This means they need
1. Does installation of the solar thermal
careful, individual planning.
system fit in with the timing of planned
Architects and system designers have to work
modernisation work? The time of the next
closely together from the outset. This ensures
roof/facade renewal should match the life-
that the finished system will work optimally.
time of the collectors. The same applies for
Contractually guaranteed savings make
renewal of the heating system.
systems an even safer investment for owners.
2. Location: Can the collectors be oriented
between SE and SW? Are there any shading
objects?
3. Collector mounting: Can collectors be
fitted to the roof or integrated into the
roof/facade? Is it possible to install entire
collector fields?
4. Is there enough space for the solar heat
storage tank and is it accessible for instal-
lation? What structural changes are needed
for the storage tank to be installed?
5. Have all structural and energy system
SE
SW
changes to the building been taken into

S account? Is the solar thermal system
aligned to them? Is there further scope
for energy improvements?
6. Choice of planning objective between sub-
stituting primary energy, minimising heat
generation costs and legal compliance
(building system input/output ratio or solar
ordinances).
20
Horizontally mounted vacuum tube 40° installation on flat roof Facade integration
collectors on flat roof Photo: Wagner-Solar.com
Photo: Die Fabrik, Berlin (Germany)
Installation planning checklist Acceptance checklist
1. Can architect and solar system designer Following installation, it is essential to fine-
work together from the outset to develop tune the solar thermal system in operation.
an integrated system? This optimisation should take place over a pre-
2. Does the quoted price cover both designing set timeframe (e. g. three months). The system
the solar thermal system and matching it is tested at the same time to see if the guar-
to the heating and/or hot water system? anteed energy savings are achieved. The instal-
Do the solar system installers have ex- lers may be required to make adjustments.
perience with large systems? Are the
expected energy savings subject to g Initial acceptance
uarantee? 1. Are all system components properly fitted
3. Does the installation planning take into and connected? Have all circuits been
account that new trades will have to be tested under pressure?
brought into the building work and the 2. Are all valves and pipes fully labelled?
heating system must first be optimised 3. Is the system fully insulated, without gaps
from an energy standpoint? Is it ensured in the insulation where pipework passes
that only suitable components and insu- through walls and ceilings?
lation materials for standing temperatures 4. Are all parameter settings documented?
up to 200 °C will be used for the solar ther-
mal system ? Final acceptance
4. Can the system be optimised when opera- (after stipulated period in operation)
ting, i. e. when the building is occupied? 5. Are all guaranteed parameters (energy
When is the timeframe for fine-tuning the savings) achieved?
system? 6. Are all system components matched (suit-
ably dimensioned heat exchanger, heat
meter, temperature sensor, expansion ves-
sel) and properly positioned?
7. Are all parameter settings and modifica-
tions to the system documented?
40° installation Integrated collectors

Photo: Soli fer Solardach GmbH - Altenpfleheim Photo: Velux
St. Michael, Dresden (Germany)
Technical Basics
Solar Air Conditioning in a Nutshell
Solar air conditioning systems are offered by Absorption chillers with a liquid absorbent
several firms in Europe for offices and public cover the 15 kw to 5 MW range. Input tempera-
buildings. Solar thermal energy is very well tures on these systems range from 80–110 °C.
suited for running air conditioning systems, as COPthermal: 0.6–0.8 for a single-stage chiller
cooling demand tends to correlate very well and up to 1.2 for a two-stage system.
with the amount of sunshine.
Absorption chillers need about 3–3.5 m2 of
Cooling demand heavily depends on building collector surface per kW of cooling capacity.
use, building type, the condition of the buil-
ding (thermal insulation) and the interior heat Another system type, known as a sorption-
load. In Central Europe, residential buildings assisted air conditioning system, uses desic-
are expected to need air conditioning for 50 to cant and evaporative cooling (DEC). After cool-
200 hours a year. This increases to 1,000 hours ing, the refrigerant (water) is expelled from
for office and industrial buildings. The figure in the system. Desiccant and evaporative cooling
Southern Europe is far higher, especially for systems achieve a cooling capacity in the 20-
hotels and office buildings. 350 kW range. Such systems can be expanded
on a modular basis. The operating temperature
The output of solar-powered chillers ranges is only around 45–95 °C. This means the heat
from 10 kW to 5 MW. Such units are used to can be provided by simple flat plate collectors
provide cold water and for air conditioning and in some cases even by air collectors
systems. (COPthermal: 0.5–1.0). Systems using a liquid
absorbent are currently being developed.
The 50–400 kW range is generally served by
adsorption chillers operating with a solid As a rule of thumb for open systems, about 8–
adsorbent. The input temperature of about 10 m2 of collector area can be assumed neces-
60–90 °C is provided by flat plate or vacuum sary per 1,000 m3/hr installed capacity.
tube collectors (coefficient of performance
COPthermal: 0.5–0.7).
22
Typical performance figures (COPthermal)
for thermally driven chillers range from
0.5–1.2 depending on the system. However,
the COPthermal performance figure differs
from the figure used for electrically driven
chillers. The coefficient for a thermally
driven chiller is defined as the ratio of the
heat given off by the cold water circuit
and the heat needed to drive the process
(COPthermal = Qcold/Qhot). On electrically
driven chillers, COPconv is the ratio of the heat Factory building with solar cooling, Audi, Ingolstadt,
given off by the cold water circuit and the Germany
Photo: Solahart/ESTIF
electrical energy used (COPconv = Qcold/Eelec).
Solar air conditioning – absorption chiller

Photo: Schüco
Solar air conditioning – adsorption chiller in the

university hospital, Freiburg
Photo: Universitätsklinikum Freiburg/Fraunhofer ISE
Best Practice Examples
Best Practice Catalogue
The systems presented by way of example in Survey

the following pages are selected from a large, In a questionnaire-based survey, data and
nine-country project database which can be statements have been collected from system
viewed in full at www.solarge.org. operators, owners and planners. The question-
naires covered over 120 items. In addition to
The catalogue is divided into seven technical and economic variables, survey
applications: respondents were asked for general remarks
and recommendations for future projects. The
Applications for hot water facts and experience collected from survey
A Hot water for apartment buildings respondents provide a comprehensive insight
B Hot water for hotels into the subject. Planners will find relevant
C Hot water for public and social buildings technical details together with general re-
quirements for planning and implementation.
Applications for hot water and space heating
D Hot water and space heating
for apartment buildings
E Hot water and space heating for hotels
F Hot water and space heating
for public and social buildings
G Other applications
Besides hot water and space heating, some of

the systems also provide heat for swimming
pools and other purposes.
Scheme 1: Direct piping Scheme 2: Two-pipe installation Scheme 3: Two-pipe installation

for hot tap water with decentral- for hot tap water with centralised for hot tap water with centralised
ised solar storage and backup solar storage and decentralised backup heater and solar storage
heaters (common in Spain) backup heaters (common in D, F, I, DK, NL)
24
Additional note: All systems depend on the situation of the building and local and national laws. In some cases,
for example boilers, solar storage tanks etc. are located directly under the roof. The schemes shown provide only
a simplified representation of the options for integrating a solar thermal system into a building.
How to use the Best Practice Catalogue As mentioned elsewhere, the size of a planned
The examples presented in the pages that fol- solar thermal system always depends on the
low provide an overview of the different types individual situation (consumption profiles,
of system. This allows comparison with readers’ available installation options, integration into
own plans. The examples are also a source of an overall system concept) and cannot be
ideas for improvements to such plans. directly inferred from apparently similar
systems.
The examples show where solar thermal
systems can be usefully integrated into It is therefore always important to obtain ad-
heating systems. A wide range of system vice from professionals with experience in
approaches is covered so that a suitable planning large solar thermal systems.
system type for every application can be
founded.
The number of systems selected bears no

relation to the number of systems of each
type in operation today. Nor does the selection
imply anything about where solar thermal
systems are best deployed.
Scheme 4: Direct piping Scheme 5: Two-pipe installation Scheme 6: Two and four-pipe
for space heating and hot tap for space heating and hot tap installation for space heating and
water with decentralised solar water with centralised solar storage hot tap water with centralised
storage and backup heaters and decentralised backup heaters backup heater and solar buffer
(common in Spain) (common in D, A, I, DK, NL)
Best Practice No. 1
Vèrtix - San Cugat des Vallès Barcelona
Multi-Family House
Motivation
The main reason to install the CSTS was the
San Cugat des Vallès Solar Ordinance. This
municipal ordinance mandates the installation
of solar thermal systems for hot water genera-
tion in new buildings with a minimum solar
proportion of 60 %. This building was the first
Vèrtix building where a solar thermal system
was installed for hot water generation.
Facts in brief
Profile Year of construction of CSTS 2004/2005
Aperture area of collectors 60 m2
Real estate company Thermal output 42 kWth
New multi-family house, Collector yield 796 kWh/(m2 ·a)
39 dwellings
Total costs of solar
61 m2 flat-plate collector hot water system* 89,133 €
(gross area), on flat roof
Subsidies 0%
60 % reduction of final
energy consumption for CO2-emissions avoided 14.13 t CO2 per year
hot water generation Reduction of final energy 59,765 kWh/a
(calculated) Replaced energy source Natural gas
*costs without conventional heating system
Collector area
per apartment: 1.5 m2
Investment costs per
26 apartment:* 2,285 €
Solar fraction of global
heat demand:** 60 %
Contact * without consideration of subsidies
u Vèrtix ** measured
Can Ràbia, 11, Local
E-Barcelona, Spain
h Rafael López,
k
Antoni Esqué
1 +34 93 2063476
I +34 93 2051586
! rlopez@vertix.es
www.vertix.es
For further information, please refer to www.solarge.org

hot water
A k apartment buildings
Technical Description Comments

The solar storage devices are distributed in ■ “The CSTS installation on San
a decentralised manner and are connected Cugat Vallès was the first one
in series to a modulated combination boiler completed by Vèrtix.
(for space heating and hot water generation). However, the implementation
■ operation mode: low-flow of the system was mandated
■ type of hot water heating: decentralised by the municipality's Solar
■ type of space heating: decentralised Ordinance. It was also taken
■ solar buffer storage: 39 x 150 l on as a challenge by the pro-
ject developer to comply with
Financing this obligation. The favoura-
The project developer, Vèrtix, financed the ble results of the installation
CSTS installation themselves without applying and the lack of major pro-
for a subsidy or special loans. blems gave Vèrtix the confi-
dence to invest in solar ther-
mal systems in future buil-
dings.”
“The CSTS is running well. At
the beginning there were
some complaints because of
the noise from one pump.
The pump was changed and
no more problems have been
reported. In the beginning
there were also some pro-
blems reported with the col-
lector fluid. There were some
small leaks in the circuit
which caused pressure drops
within the circuit. The leaks
were detected and repaired
and the circuit was filled
again.”
Decentralised heat-
ing system. Solar
heat storages and
backup heaters
are located in each
apartment. The
building is compos-
ed of 39 apartments
on 5 floors.
Best Practice No. 2
Sliedrecht
Tablis Wonen - Sperwerflat I

Multi-Family House
Motivation
The project took place as part of an overall
renovation of the hot water installation. Small
individual gas-fired kitchen tap water heaters
that emitted exhaust gases into the dwellings
have been replaced by a central solar hot
water system. There are several benefits for
the tenants:
■ hot water facility has been improved;
■ indoor air quality has been improved (no
more exhaust gases, less humidity);
■ problems with mould on the kitchen walls
have been solved due to lower humidity in
the flats.
Profile Facts in brief

Year of construction of CSTS 2003
Social Housing Aperture area of collectors 89 m2
Association
Thermal output 62.3 kWth
Multi-Family House
(1968), 80 dwellings Collector yield 448 kWh/(m2 ·a)
90 m2 flat-plate collector Total costs of solar

(gross area), on flat roof hot water system 50,211 €
57,000 kWh/a reduction Subsidies 31 %

of final energy consump- CO2-emissions avoided 10.5 t CO2 per year
tion (measured) Reduction of final energy 57,000 kWh/a
Replaced energy source Natural gas
collector area
investment costs per
28 apartment:* 628 €
heat demand: n/a
u Tablis Wonen
P.O. Box 145
3360 AC Sliedrecht
The Netherlands
1 +31 184 444 844
I +31 184 444 866
! info@tabliswonen.nl
www.tabliswonen.nl

hot water

The solar hot water system consists of a 90 m2 ■ “The complete retrofitting
collector surface and a buffer storage with a of the Sperwer building with
storage volume of 3,000 litres. The solar col- a central solar hot water
lectors and buffer storage tank are connected system resulted in a lot of
by a plate heat exchanger. Solar heat is stored 'wins' for the tenants: Better
in the tap water. Drain-back protects against comfort, better indoor air
freezing and overheating. quality, lowered indoor humi-
■ operation mode: high flow dity, savings in energy bills
■ type of hot water heating: central and a contribution to climate
■ type of space heating: central change mitigation. Since this
■ solar buffer storage: 3 m3 project, 8 other buildings
have been equipped with a
Financing similar central solar hot
The turn-key system cost amounted to EUR water system."
564/m2 (total EUR 50,000) paid for by the “Installing solar thermal
owner/investor, Tablis Wonen. Subsidies were systems fits in with the social
granted from three sources for a total of 31% responsibility policy goals of
of the cost. Tablis. This is one such exam-
ple where the hot water
system for the flats has been
modernised to improve living
conditions (no exhaust gases
in the flats, less humidity and
mould) and comfort (impro-
ved hot water facilities). In
order to compensate for the
related increase in energy
consumption (due to central
hot water circulation losses
and better facilities) the solar
systems were added.“
Flatplate collectors
and solar heat
storage of the
Sperwer building
Best Practice No. 3
ATC Torino – Moncalieri
Multi-Family House
Motivation
ATC Torino, a social housing public agency in
the province of Turin, has dealt with environ-
mental and energetic matters since 1996.
Whenever possible, new technologies (especi-
ally renewable energy sources) have been inte-
grated into ATC's buildings in order to reduce
their environmental impact.

Social housing association Aperture area of collectors 90 m2
Multi-Family House, Thermal output 63 kWth
42 dwellings
Collector yield 633 kWh/(m2 ·a)
96m2 flat-plate collectors
(gross area), solar roof
hot water system 76,287 €
69 % reduction of final
energy consumption for Subsidies 43 %
hot tap water (estimated) CO2-emissions avoided 20.7 t CO2 per year
Reduction of final energy 76,000 kWh/a
collector area
Solar fraction of hot
water demand:** 46 %
u ATC Torino ** heat demand for hot tap water
Corso Dante, 14 generation (value: estimated)
I-10134 Torino, Italy
h
k
Ing. Paolo Cinus
1 +39 11 3130532
I +39 11 3130461
! p.cinus@atc.torino.it
www.atc.it

hot water

The solar system heats the buffer storage tank ■ “The building located in
via an external heat exchanger. The buffer Moncalieri near Juglaris,
storage tank then loads one of three hot tap illustrates the appeal of solar
water tanks through a second external heat thermal technology. Due to
exchanger. The other two hot water storage the integration of the collec-
tanks are heated by both the first buffer stora- tors into a solar roof, which is
ge tank and the boiler. In order to assure the a cost effective and innovati-
sanitary quality of the hot water, the solar hot ve solution in Italy, our solar
water tank can also be heated up by the boiler. thermal system is very attrac-
■ operation mode: low flow tive from an architectural
■ type of hot water heating: central point of view as well.
■ type of space heating: central
■ solar buffer storage: 4.0 m3
Financing
The province of Turin subsidised a part of the
total investment costs through a demonstra-
tion programme (publications and presenta-
tions from various newspapers, newsletters
and exhibitions on the Province's web site).
Roof integrated flat-

plate collectors and
solar heat storage in
Moncalieri
Best Practice No. 4
Potsdam
WG Karl Marx e.G.–

Multi-Family House
Motivation
Within the scope of the refurbishment of the
building, a complete modernisation of the
heating system including central hot water
generation was necessary. For that reason,
among others, the possibilities for solar energy
integration were analysed. Although hot water
provision with a solar thermal system seemed
to be a favourable option, the implementation
proved to be a great task for the planners and
manufacturers involved as well as for us as the
building owner. It should be mentioned then
that, as of the time of the planning in 1998,

Co-operative housing Aperture area of collectors 222 m2
society
Thermal output n/a
Multi-Family House, 2
258 dwellings Collector yield approx. 300 kWh/(m ·a)
222 m2 flat-plate collectors
(aperture area), on flat hot water system 200,000 €
roof Subsidies 85 %
88,270 kWh/a reduction of CO2-emissions avoided n/a
final energy consumption Reduction of final energy 88,270 kWh/a
Replaced energy source District Heating
collector area
heat demand: n/a
u Wohnungsgenossenschaft
„Karl Marx“ Potsdam e.G.
Jagdhausstr. 27
D-14480 Potsdam, Germany
h Klaus Bergemann
k
1 +49 331 6458 235

! bergemann@wgkarlmarx.de
www.wgkarlmarx.de

hot water
large solar thermal systems for residential Comments

buildings were rarely installed so there was
■ “The experience gained
limited background experience for the project.
through this project under-
In hindsight, the result was very favourable:
line the fact that solar ther-
The end technical and economic performance
mal systems are suitable for
levels met all the predicted benchmarks.
implementation on large resi-
Technical Description dential buildings. It was
shown that technical and
The solar thermal system consists of a 222m2
economic target values can
collector field connected to a separated control
be achieved. A key factor in
unit and storage devices. The solar thermal
the implementation was a
energy is used only for the generation of hot
good working knowledge of
water.
the consumption profiles
■ operation mode: Low flow
before the installation of the
■ type of hot water heating: central
CSTS. Remote monitoring
will ensure the long-term
functionality of the system.
Financing
The purchase of the system was predominant-
ly financed by soft loans, but 15% was financed
by the housing society. The total costs of all
implemented renovations (including CSTS) are
shared by the tenants within the legal ranges.
WG Karl-Marx e.G.
- collector field
Best Practice No. 5
Municipality of Giurgiu –
Policlinica Area Giurgiu
Multi-Family House
Motivation
During the summer, the combined heat and
power (CHP) plant in Giurgiu does not produce
electricity and therefore the hot water supply
is turned off completely between April and
November. The installation of 300 m2 of solar
panels on two housing blocks was necessary
to supply hot water for 80 flats during the
summer months.

Municipal housing Aperture area of collectors 300 m2
administration
Thermal output 210 kWth
2 Multi-Family Houses,
2 x 40 dwellings Collector yield 193 kWh/(m2 ·a)
300 m2 flat-plate collec- Total costs of solar

tors (aperture area), on hot water system 93,666 €
flat roofs Subsidies 0%
58,000 kWh/a of CO2-emissions avoided n/a
solar heat Reduction of final energy n/a
Replaced energy source District Heating (CHP)
collector area
heat demand:** 100 %
u Municipality of Giurgiu ** this solar thermal system supplies 100%
49-51 Bucharest Street of the hot water demand of this both
buildings during the summer periode
8375 Giurgiu, Romania
h Lucian Iliescu,
k
Constantin Ionescu
1 +40 246 213588
I +40 246 213747
! primargr@pcnet.ro

hot water

It was decided to use a solar thermal system ■ “The installation of 300 m2
for the provision of domestic hot water during solar panels on two housing
the summer months. A joint system with a blocks in Giurgiu enables 80
large coverage area was built to supply the dwellings to be supplied with
two housing blocks. Heat is stored directly in hot water during the summer
the domestic hot water or in existing hot months. These flats are the
water tanks; 2 x 5 m3 for each block. only flats in Giurgiu with hot
■ operation mode: low flow water supply in the summer
■ type of hot water heating: central and are therefore now very
■ type of space heating: central attractive to buy.
■ solar buffer storage: 4 x 5 m3
Financing
The solar project was part of Romania's
District Heating Rehabilitation Project for
Giurgiu which was financed by the Danish
Environmental Agency (DEPA) through the
Danish Cooperation for Environment in
Eastern Europe programme (DANCEE). The
Romanian counterpart contributed using its
own financing measures.
Collector field and

solar heat tanks in
Policlinica Area
Best Practice No. 6
Helsingør
Sundparken –
Multi-Family House
Motivation
The Chairman of the housing society motiva-
ted the tenants to support the installation of
the system despite the rent increase that
would be incurred over a limited period of
time. Rent rates would then return to lower
levels.

Co-operative housing Aperture area of collectors 336 m2
society
Multi-Family Houses,
425 dwellings Collector yield approx. 366 kWh/(m2 ·a)
(aperture area), on roof hot water system 240,000 €
123,000 kWh/a of Subsidies 13 %

solar heat CO2-emissions avoided n/a
Replaced energy source District heating
collector area
heat demand:** 3.1 %
u Helsingør Boligselskab ** measured
Kongedammen 34
3000 Helsingøre, Denmark
h
k
Poul Hansen (chairman)
1 +45 49 2128-61
I +45 49 2128-91
! sundparken@stofanet.dk
www.helsingorboligselskab.dk

hot water

The solar heating system is a low flow system ■ “There is great potential for
with a 10,000 l hot water tank. Due to the the expansion of the solar
orientation of the buildings the CSTS was desi- collector area for space hea-
gned as two separate systems with a common ting, but, at the moment, the
storage tank. Half of the solar collectors (168 m2) return temperature from the
face east, the other half of the solar collectors radiator system is considered
(168 m2) face west. to be too high.
The collector tilt is 15° from the horizontal for
all the collectors. Both the east-facing and the
west-facing collectors have their own solar col-
lector loop, circulation pump, external heat
exchanger and control system.
■ operation mode: low flow
■ solar buffer storage: 10 m3
Financing
The project was financed mainly through
reserves from the housing association's own
revolving funds as well as a small loan, natio-
nal subsidies and a tax break.

and the central
control system
Best Practice No. 7
ZUP Les Salines – La Rochelle
12 Multi-Family Houses
Motivation
„We would carry on with the approach follo-
wed by the city of La Rochelle since 1970. With
the district heat development, the restoration
of the former solar installation of the Salines
would prove to be a necessary thing to do.“

Mairie de La Rochelle Gross area of collectors 1,164 m2
12 Multi-Family Houses, Thermal output 750 kWth
941 dwellings
1,164 m2 flat-plate
collectors (gross area), Total costs of solar
on flat roof hot water system 1,446,000 €
43 % reduction of final Subsidies 80 %

energy consumption CO2-emissions avoided 210 t CO2 per year
(estimated) Reduction of final energy 894,000 kWh/a
Replaced energy source Diverse
(District heating)
collector area
heat demand: n/a*
u Mairie de La Rochelle
Hôtel de Ville - BP 1541
17086 La Rochelle Cedex 2,
France
h Mr Giret
k
1 +33 5 46515010
! www.ville-larochelle.fr

hot water

The CSTS was restored in 2005 and is compo- ■ “A former solar installation
sed of 1,164 m2 flat plate collectors installed on already existed on this site
flat roofs of the twelve buildings. They are pla- and La Rochelle City Hall
ced in a south/south-western orientation of chose to carry on with this
25° and with an inclination of 30°. Total solar approach initiated in the
storage is 58 m3 shared between the twelve Seventies with a restoration.
buildings. La Rochelle City Hall arranged
■ operation mode: variable an agreement between the
■ type of hot water heating: central public utility company and
■ type of space heating: central the Elvo Ocean Company, the
■ solar buffer storage: 19 m3 installation's operator. This
operation was split into three
Financing parts, carried out by three dif-
The total cost of this project was EUR 1,371,000 ferent installers. For a project
excluding VAT and EUR 1,446,000 including like this, it is important to
VAT (VAT at 5.5%). It was subsidised at 80% by work with an engineering
Europe (FEDER funds: EUR 411,494) and by the company with lots of good
ADEME / Regional Council of Poitou-Charentes references.
(EUR 685,824).
Boiler room with

solar heat tanks,
auxiliary heating
and control unit
Best Practice No. 8
Kirchzarten
Fortuna Hotel
Motivation
During a regular pub meeting in the year
2000, hotel owner Manfred Meder and Otto
Wehrle, collective solar thermal systems instal-
ler and producer of solar storage tanks, discus-
sed the apparent high consumption of hot
water in the FORTUNA Hotel. A special topic
was the high consumption of oil for the hea-
ting of hot water during the warm months.
Since the consumption of hot water is a given
in hotels, operating costs were able to be redu-
ced through the installation of a well-planned
solar thermal system.

Private ownership Aperture area of collectors 46.7 m2
Hotel, 70 beds Thermal output 33 kWth
53 m2 flat-plate collectors Collector yield 546 kWh/(m2 ·a)
(gross area), roof inte-
grated Total cost of solar
34,000 kWh/a reduction
of final energy consump- Subsidies 10.8 %
tion CO2-emissions avoided 7.5 t CO2 per year
Replaced energy source Heating Oil
collector area
per room: 1.3 m2
u Hotel Fortuna ** estimated
Hauptstraße 7
79199 Kirchzarten, Germany
h Manfred Meder
k
1 +49 7661 3980

hot water
B k hotels

The solar storage tanks were built within one ■ “The structural condition of
insulation jacket in order to cover the connec- the building, a demand ana-
ting pipes. This avoids heat losses between the lysis, visiting reference
solar storage tanks. systems, the experienced
■ operation mode: high flow company that carried out
■ type of hot water heating: central the installation work and
■ type of space heating: central proven systems were all part
■ tap water storage: 4.1 m3 of the successful integration
of a solar thermal system
Financing into the existing building
The owner is also the investor. Nearly 90 % of services. When awarding the
the personal invested resources have a calcula- contract only companies
ted return of investment period of approxima- should be considered which
tely seven years. This is due to the planner's can produce an installation
many years of experience. About 10.8 % of the schedule as early as in the
project costs were subsidised by the Federal preliminary stages. This way
Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA). unnecessary surprises during
assembly can be avoided.“
„Finally the operating costs
can be reduced with the help
of a well-planned and well-
installed solar thermal
system because hot water
consumption is guaranteed
in hotels.“
Roof integrated
flatplate collectors
of Hotel Fortuna
and piping located
in the gable
Best Practice No. 9
ACCOR Group – Hôtel Valbonne
Novotel Sophia Antipolis

Motivation
The solar installation was carried out with the
help of the ACCOR Group's commitment to be
involved with sustainable policy and to impro-
ve the brand image of the hotel.

Hotel chain Aperture area of collectors 108 m2
Hotel, 97 rooms Thermal output 76 kWth
113 m2 flat-plate collectors Collector yield 832 kWh/(m2 ·a)
(gross area), on a flat roof
Total cost of solar
48% reduction of final hot water system 84,500 €
energy consumption for
hot tap water heating Subsidies 73 %
CO2-emissions avoided 11 t CO2 per year
Replaced energy source Electricity
collector area
per room: 1.2 m2
heat demand: n/a
u Hotel Novotel Sophia Antipolis
290 rue dostoïevski
06410 Valbonne, France
1 +33 4 92387238
I +22 4 93958012

hot water
B k hotels

The CSTS was designed to cover 49 % of the ■ “Aware of the importance
energetic needs for hot tap water provision. of sustainability for the tou-
113 m2 collector surfaces were installed on the rism industry, the ACCOR
flat roof facing south and with an inclination Group, of which this hotel
of 30 %. The collectors are connected to two is a member, has implemen-
3,000-litre solar tanks. Back-up storage con- ted a coherent environmental
sists of five 3,000-litre electric storage tanks. policy since 1993. In 1999, a
■ operation mode: variable contract to develop renew-
■ type of hot water heating: central able energy sources was
■ type of space heating: central signed with the ADEME.
■ solar buffer storage: 6 m3 Each year the measured solar
output has exceeded the
Financing guaranteed energy outlined
The total cost of this operation was EUR in the solar performance
84,505 excluding VAT, subsidised at 73 % by guarantee.“
the ADEME and the PACA Regional Council
with EUR 61,742.
of the Hotel in
Valbonne
Best Practice No. 10
s'Hertogenbosch
Woonveste –
House for elderly persons
Motivation
The installation of this system was in accor-
dance with the association's environmental
mission. As part of their environmental poli-
cies Woonveste actively aims to reduce energy
and water consumption and promotes the use
of renewable energy systems in its building
stock.

Social Housing Associat- Aperture area of collectors 96 m2
ion, Woonveste
Multi-family House for
elderly persons, Collector yield approx. 405 kWh/(m2 ·a)
105 dwellings Total cost of solar
2
100 m flat-plate collectors hot water system 47,900 €
(gross area), on a flat Subsidies 33 %
roof CO2-emissions avoided 11.7 t/a
38,900 kWh/a of solar Reduction of final energy 55,500 kWh/a
heat
collector area
heat demand: n/a
u Woonveste Housing
Association
Afrikalaan 92
P.O. Box 127
5150 AC DRUNEN
The Netherlands

hot water
C k public buildings

■ operation mode: n/a ■ “When the decision was
■ type of hot water heating: central made to install a solar water
■ type of space heating: central heater not all tenants were
■ solar buffer storage: 3 m3 happy because of the corre-
sponding increase in rent. But
Financing now the solar water heater is
For the realisation of this project, Woonveste in service and the overall
was supported by the project “Space for Solar”, energy costs have been lowe-
which provided feasibility studies, an intere- red by twice the amount of
sting turn-key offer based on a call for tender the rent increase. Needless to
and an investment subsidy. say, all the tenants are satis-
fied. Woonveste will continue
its mission to install renew-
able energy systems in its
building stock."

TEZNO – Retirement Home Maribor
Motivation
The system, as well as the building, was finan-
ced by the Ministry of Labour, Family and
Social Affairs and community of the town of
Maribor. The complete building was taken over
by the current users. The supplier of the solar
system manages and maintains the system
free of charge.

Social Association Aperture area of collectors 100 m2
Retirement home (2003), Thermal output 70 kWth
200 residents
+ 80 Employees Collector yield 294 kWh/(m2 ·a)
110 m2 flat-plate collector Total costs of solar

(gross area), on flat roof hot water system 50,000 €
29,390 kWh/a reduction Subsidies 50 %

of final energy consump- CO2-emissions avoided 5.9 t CO2 per year
tion Reduction of final energy 29,390 kWh/a
collector area
u Dom starejših obcanov TEZNO ** estimated
(TEZNO Retirement home)

Panonska ulica 41
2000 Maribor, Slovenia
h Jasna Cajnko, M. Sc. director
k
1 +386 2 4602602
! Jasna.cajnko@dso-tezno.si

hot water
Technical Description Financing

The solar system, which is used to heat hot Due to the present owners having just taken
tap water, is composed of two fields of flat over the building, accurate costs are not
selective solar collectors with a total area of known. The investment cost was approximate-
100 m2. There are four heat storage tanks, each ly EUR 500 per m2 solar collector. Half of the
with a volume of 900 litres, which serve as investment was paid for by the local commu-
buffer storage. Two of them are connected nity as part of the programme to help the
parallel forming the battery. Two batteries are elderly.
connected in series. This way, better tempera-
ture distribution in the storage tanks is achie-
ved. Heat from the buffer solar heat storage is
transferred over a plate heat exchanger into
two additional storage tanks where the tap
water is heated. Each of them has a volume of
1,000 litres. Cold tap water flows through the
first to the second storage tank and is additio- Comments
nally heated with a spiral exchanger integra-
■ “During the process of dis-
ted into the last storage tank and gas boiler.
cussion, planning, construc-
tion and operation of the
large solar system a lot of
experience was gained. The
first two years of operation
showed that the system is
accurately designed and well
constructed. There were no
significant costs with system
maintenance.
The experience has been
successfully used in new
projects.“
and hydraulics
Pracatinat – Fenestrelle (TO)
Educational Centre
Motivation
„The educational centre, Consorzio Pracatinat,
specialises in environmental education activi-
ties, sustainable tourism and accompanying
local sustainable development projects.
Therefore, it has a natural affinity towards
renewable technologies. This is clearly testified
by the decision to install a solar thermal pilot
plant, which contributes to create an environ-
mentalist image for the centre. Furthermore, a
display is mounted in the hall of the building
to show the performance of the solar system.“

Consorzio Pracatinat Aperture area of collectors 142 m2
150 m2 flat-plate collec- Collector yield 697 kWh/(m2 ·a)
tors (gross area), on flat
roof Total cost of solar
180,000 kWh/a reduction
of final energy consump- Subsidies 40 %
tion CO2-emissions avoided 41.4 t CO2 per year
Replaced energy source Natural Gas
collector area
48 room:* 450 €
Solar fraction of hot
water demand:** 55 %
u Consorzio Pracatinat ** heat demand for hot tap water
località Prà Catinat generation (value: estimated)
Fenestrelle (TO), Italy
h
k
Claudio Richiardone
1 +39 121 884807
I +39 121 83711
! c.richiardone@pracatinat.it
www.pracatinat.it

hot water

The collectors are connected to a 5 m3 buffer ■ “Due to the intermediate low
storage tank, which heats up a hot tap water efficiency of the system, the
tank via a heat exchanger. Two further tanks investment is not yet profita-
are connected in parallel and are heated up by ble. Small modifications to
both the solar tank and the auxiliary heating the plant, however, should be
boiler. The recirculation circuit can be diverted enough to improve the ener-
either to the solar tank (in the summer) or to getic and economic efficiency.
the other two tanks (in the winter) in order to Our application was evalua-
optimise the efficiency of the system. ted and finally our hotel was
■ operation mode: low flow chosen for the installation of
■ type of hot water heating: central a pilot plant. The technical
■ type of space heating: central staff were supported by
■ solar buffer storage: 5 m3 experts in the planning and
in the choice of suppliers.
Financing Recommendation for the rea-
The plant was partly financed by the province lisation of future projects:
of Turin as part of a demonstration program- before the decision to install
me. a pilot plant is made, it
should be ensured that all
the players involved are infor-
med and share the same opi-
nion. Otherwise it will be dif-
ficult to coordinate all the
people involved, such as the
owner, the planner and those
responsible for monitoring
the project.
and panel display in
Pracatinat
Berlin
DEGEWO –
Multi-Family House
Motivation
The project was carried out in the context
of the solar reorganisation strategy of the
DEGEWO.
Due to positive experiences in co-operation
with the project partners and the total energy
savings, every renovation or remodelling plan
takes the use of solar thermal into considera-
tion from the very beginning. The project must
be profitable for the property company.

Housing group Aperture area of collectors 54 m2
Multi-Family Houses, Thermal power 37.9 kWth
53 dwellings
Collector yield approx. 538 kWh/(m2 ·a)
(gross area), on a flat roof Total cost of solar heating/
29,050 kWh/a of solar
heat Subsidies 16.4 %
CO2-emissions avoided 7.38 t/a
Reduction of final energy n/a
collector area
u DEGEWO gAG ** measured (this plant concept focuses on
Potsdamer Str. 60 the boiler optimisation whereby fossil
energy savings are considerably higher
10785 Berlin, Germany
than shown by the solar fraction here)
1 +49 30 26485-0
I +49 30 26485-120
! info@degewo.de
www.degewo.de

D hotapartment
k
water + space heating
buildings
Technical Description ging in accordance with the EnEV for water

heating and heater support.
The solar thermal system has a collector area
of 59 m2 and a central regulation and control
unit. The obtained solar energy is used for
water heating, heater support and for the
thermal solar Legionella-circuit by the solar
compact station. Water and space heating is Financing
supplemented by fossil-generated heat only
The costs of the installation and renovation
when necessary.
were financed by subsidies (EUR 11,500) from
The solar collector system, water heating,
the Market Stimulation Programme from the
space heating and the boilers are operated by
Federal Government, the Retrofit Premium
a central, automatic controller, so that, apart
from GASAG and equity capital (EUR 58,500)
from the energy savings by the solar collector
from the owners' association.
system, this combined system will result in
further energy savings compared to the con-
ventional use of the boiler as it taps synergy
effects. As part of maintenance procedures,
the water heating system was renovated.
The boiler was replaced by a smaller, modern,
fuel-efficient boiler that generates approx.
60-70% of the annual heating required by the
housing complex. A remaining second boiler Comments
received a new modulating gas burner. The
■ “Large thermal solar systems
heat supply was retrofitted for natural gas
can be operated efficiently
and therefore emits fewer pollutants. The
and gains and costs can be
piping and armatures in the heating plant
calculable if the systems are
room, which were not replaced, received lag-
considered in planning and
implemented with compe-
tent partners from the begin-
ning. Personal commitment
and persistence are absolute-
ly necessary for the realisa-
tion of such projects.
Combined solar ener-

gy and boiler control
station “SEZ” in Berlin
Haarlem
Schalkwijk –
Multi-Family House
Motivation
The housing corporation originally planned to
install individual combined gas-fired boilers
for space heating and hot water. This would,
however, have consumed scarce living space. A
sustainable, central heating system therefore
appeared to be a good alternative. Both the
housing corporation and the local government
supported this solution and initiated a co-ope-
rative venture with the utility company.

Energy service company Aperture area of collectors 2,850 m2
9 Multi-Family Houses, Thermal output 1,995 kWth
382 dwellings
Collector yield approx. 502 kWh/(m2 ·a)
2,925 m2 flat-plate collec-
tors (gross area), on roof Total cost of solar heating/
hot water system 1,825,000 €
1,433,000 kWh/a of solar
heat Subsidies 35 %
CO2-emissions avoided n/a
Reduction of final energy 4,989,000 kWh/a
Replaced energy source District Heating
(Natural Gas)
collector area
heat demand:** 67 %
u Eneco Energie ** estimated (due to the seasonal aquifer
Diakenhuisweg 39-43 storage this solar plant supply that high
solar fraction)
Haarlem, Netherlands
! www.eneco.nl
Heat pump
Aquifer

D hotapartment
k
water + space heating
buildings

Nine 40-year old blocks with 382 apartments ■ “In the long term, the future
were retrofitted and equipped with solar of an energy supplier will
energy. The system consists of 2,850 m2 glass- depend on its innovative
covered solar flat collectors, short-term heat power choices: Innovation
storage, aquifer seasonal heat storage, heat meets our goals of social
pumps and boilers for peak demand. The responsibility and enables the
energy savings, according to the design, long-term continuity of our
amount to 70 %. business. These are the dri-
■ operation mode: low flow vers for developing the rene-
■ type of hot water heating: central wable energy market. In the
■ type of space heating: central per block past 10 years, Eneco Energie
■ solar buffer storage: 9 x 9.5 m3 has carried out more than
50 large-scale solar thermal
Financing systems in the housing sec-
Eneco Energie is the investor and CSTS system tor. An efficient organisation
owner. Eneco Energie sells the heat and hot that can initiate, implement
water to the apartment owners. Grants cover and operate large-scale solar
35 % of the overall investment. The net present thermal systems has been
value of the avoided exploitation of a conven- built. The 2 MW project is
tional installation, totalling EUR 182,000 was part of the continuous inno-
paid by the housing association to Eneco vation process that we aim
Energie. for. We intend to remain a
market leader for the imple-
mentation of large-scale
solar thermal systems in
the housing sector.”
Installation of pre-
assembled flatplate
collector structures
for 382 dwellings in
Haarlem
Berlin
Die Fabrik – Hotel
Motivation
The hotel, ”Die Fabrik”, is located in a former
industrial building, where telephones were
once produced. In 1994, when the building
was remodelled as a hotel, rooms, bathrooms,
a large lobby and a restaurant were created.
The 50-year-old, out-of-date steam heating
system was not sufficient to maintain an
acceptable level of comfort for the guests.
Therefore, in 1999, the whole building was
energetically modernised, including the boilers
(switched to natural gas) and the heating
system (pipes, radiators). The installation of a

Private ownership Aperture area of collectors 23 m2
Hotel, 120 beds Thermal output 16 kWth
27 m2 vacuum tube col- Collector yield approx. 695 kWh/(m2 ·a)
lectors (gross area), on a
flat roof Total cost of solar heating/
heat Subsidies 33 %
collector area
per bed: 0.2 m2
investment costs
54 per bed:* 333 €
u Die Fabrik ** calculated
Schlesische Str. 18
10997 Berlin, Germany
h
k
Georg Krug
1 +49 30 6118254
I +49 30 6189974
! info@diefabrik.com
www.diefabrik.com

hot water + space heating
E k hotels
solar thermal collector for hot-water genera- Financing

tion and heating support was planned. The
The solar thermal system was installed as a
entire renovation was substantially funded by
key element in the energetic modernisation of
the UFP Environmental Funding Program of
the hotel. The subsidies granted from the UFP
Berlin.
Program amounted to one third of the total
Technical Description costs (planning and installation). Thanks to the
resulting high level of energy savings, particu-
27 m2 vacuum tube collectors were installed
larly through the reduction of system losses
flush to the flat roof of the hotel's rear buil-
and assistance from solar thermal energy, as
ding - without a mounting system. This solu-
well as the grants, the entire project was
tion was chosen because of static reasons. The
favourably profitable. As early as 1999 the ove-
high-performance collectors are connected
rall measure was almost profitable.
with an efficient buffer storage system, mea-
suring 2.25 m3, in the heating centre. Integrat-
ed into the heating system, with a shared con-
trol unit, the system covers 8 % of the energy
needs for heating and 43 % of the energy
Comments
needs for hot water generation (simulation ■ “Within the scope of the
result). changed utilisation of the
■ operation mode: low flow building from industrial to
■ type of hot water heating: central hotel use, the solar thermal
■ type of space heating: central system was, and is, a highly
■ solar buffer storage: 2.25 m3 valued part of the building's
concept. The energy created
by the solar thermal system
provides economic relief from
the energy costs which is
becoming even more im-
portant due to the current
increase in energy prices.
In addition, the image of “Die
Fabrik” is enhanced by the
innovative energy concept - a
factor that is well received by
the guests.“
Vacuum-tube col-
lectors and display
panel of the hotel
“Die Fabrik”
DomParaplegikov – Hotel Pacug
Motivation
The health resort is designed for the physically
handicapped and offers them an option for
healthy and relaxing vacations. Disabled sport-
smen can use the resort for preparing for sports
competitions. This health resort is meant to
become an incubator of ideas for all areas of
life of a physically disabled person. The solar
system was completed in 2007. One of the first
results of the SOLARGE project was the fact
that we have installed calorimeters in the solar
system pipeline and connected to the BMS
(Building Management System).

Hotel, Sports building Thermal output 50 kWth
Hospital, 120 beds
Collector yield n/a
78 m2 flat plate collectors
(gross area), on roof Total cost of solar heating/
Subsidies 90 %
CO2-emissions avoided n/a
Reduction of final energy n/a
Replaced energy source Liquid gas
collector area
per user: 0.6 m2
investment costs
56 per user:* 286 €
heat demand: n/a
Contact * i without consideration of subsidies
u Dom paraplegikov d.o.o.
Štihova 14
Ljubljana, Slovenia
h
k
Mr Janez Trdina
1 +386 1 4327138
I +386 1 4327252
! info@vzveza-paraplegikov.si
www.zveza-paraplegikov.si

E k hotels
Technical Description Financing

Two liquid-gas, high-temperature boilers were The Health Resort Centre in Pacug was plan-
installed for space and tap water heating. ned in such a way that quality was given first
Rooms are heated by radiators with thermo- priority. The decision for a solar system was
static valves. Some parts of the building – the- made a few years ago. This was a very good
rapy, congress room, and restaurant – have air- decision in hindsight, because the price of
conditioning systems. Hot tap water as well as liquid-gas has increased. The institution, which
sea water is pumped into the pool and prehea- financed the construction of the health resort,
ted by the solar system. The system consists of supported the decision. In the end, the price
two sections of solar collectors with a total per square metre of solar collectors was a little
area of 72 m2. Water heated by the solar collec- higher than expected.
tors flows through a tube heat exchanger,
integrated in the heat storage tank (2 m3) for
hot tap water generation and heating support
or through a plate heat exchanger for the pre-
heating of sea water for the pool. Comments
■ operation mode: high flow
■ „We are aware of the gro-
wing importance of energy
conservation and therefore
the decision to use as many
renewable energy sources as
possible was easy. With
regard to the fact that our
building lies in the sunniest
area of Slovenia – 2,292 hours
of sunshine per year – the
solar system was a logical
choice. One of the first results
of the SOLARGE project will
be the installation of calori-
meters in the solar system
and their connection to the
building's management
system.“
on roof and Solar
heat tanks
Hotel du Golf de Valescure – St. Raphael
Hotel
Motivation
The hotel owner made the choice to respond
to the environmental concerns of his hotel
clientele, especially those from Northern-
Europe. Tour operators are becoming more
and more sensitive to these concerns as well.
This hotel has had a CSTS since its opening
in 1981.
In a sustainable development approach, the
owner decided to totally restore the CSTS for
tap water and swimming pool heating. The
restoration enabled the total collector surface
area to be reduced due to the significant deve-

90 m2 flat-plate collectors Collector yield approx. 659 kWh/(m2 ·a)
(aperture area), roof inte-
gration Total cost of solar heating/
heat Subsidies 48 %
CO2-emissions avoided 19 t/a
Replaced energy source Electricity
collector area
per room: 2.3 m2
investment costs
58 per room:* 2,525 €
heat demand: n/a
u Hôtel du Golf de Valescure
Avenue Paul l'Hermite
83700 Saint Raphaël, France
h
k
M. de Gaudemont
1 +33 494 528500
I +33 494 824188
! info@valescure.com
www.valescure.com

E k hotels
lopment in collector efficiency over the past Comments

20 years.
■ „I have wanted to involve the
Technical Description hotel in a globally oriented,
environmental approach that
The CSTS was installed in 2003 and is compo-
integrates water, energy and
sed of 90 m2 flat-plate collectors integrated
waste management. To fol-
into the roof with a south-eastern orientation
low through with such an
of 20° and an inclination of 30°. Hot tap water
approach is to take the lead
is stored in two solar tanks measuring 2500 l
over other hotels and thus to
and 2000 l, and a back-up storage tank measu-
secure a competitive advan-
ring 1500 l. The CSTS was designed to supply
tage.“
hot water for use in the hotel and the swim-
ming pool.
■ operation mode: variable
Financing
The CSTS cost totalled EUR 101,000 including
VAT with EUR 40,000 for the collector system,
38,000 EUR for solar installation and EUR
8,400 for planning and development. The
project was subsidised at 48 % with EUR 48,174
provided by the ADEME and the regional coun-
cil of PACA.
Roof integrated flate

plate collectors of
the Hotel du Golf de
Valescure
Saignon Elderly House – Saignon
Retirement home
Motivation
This specialised retirement centre in Saignon,
intended for physically handicapped persons,
is an example of a high-quality, environmen-
tally oriented design process. This building was
designed according to bioclimatic structure,
with special regard to solar design, and has a
one-floor construction to accommodate the
needs of handicapped persons.

Social Association Aperture area of collectors 50 m2
Retirement home, 21 beds Thermal output 35 kWth
56 m2 flat plate collectors Collector yield approx. 660 kWh/(m2 ·a)
(gross area), on the
ground Total cost of solar heating/
heat Subsidies 82 %
Replaced energy source Heating oil and
electricity
collector area
per room: 5 m2
investment costs
60 per room:* 5,750 €
heat demand: n/a
u ADAPEI
Quai les Gondonnets
84400 Saignon, France
h
k
Mr Bouillet
1 +33 4 90740-043
I +34 93 2051586
! +33 4 90740-919

F k social buildings

The installation has been in service since 2002 ■ This building was designed
and is composed of 50 m2 flat-plate collectors with an environmental and
located on an embankment near the building bioclimatic approach and,
facing south and with an inclination of 30°. logically, a CSTS was integra-
The hot water is stored in a solar tank measu- ted for hot tap water produc-
ring 3,000 litres and has two back-up tanks tion.
measuring 1,500 and 1,000 litres. An all-round project was car-
■ operation mode: n/a ried out using an architectu-
■ type of hot water heating: central ral contest and a commission
■ type of space heating: central was created to finalise pro-
■ buffer storage: 3 m3 ject details and to draft a
contract to choose the con-
Financing tracting companies.
The 50 m2 solar installation of the retirement The CSTS runs perfectly and
centre in Saignon cost EUR 57,600 including provides 60 % of the hot tap
engineering and VAT and was subsidised with water needs of the building,
EUR 45,000 from free financing (state regional as determined by the feasi-
council and ADEME). bility study.
Rear side of the

building and flat
plate collectors
located near the
building on an
embankment
Asilo dei Vecchi – San Germano Chisone
Retirement home
Motivation
The building's managers started the project
and were encouraged by a promotion program
from the province of Turin which provided
expert technical assistance and economic sub-
sidies.
"Our local promotion programs for renewable
energy sources are based on a complete sup-
port structure for the investors. It is essential
to create subsidy schemes and inform the par-
ties involved of their existence. Furthermore,
technicians must be trained and supported,

Waldensian Church Aperture area of collectors 70 m2
Retirement home, Thermal output 49 kWth
98 inhabitants
78 m2 vacuum tube
collectors (gross area), Total cost of solar thermal system 72,850 €
on roof Subsidies 40 %
54,000 kWh/a of solar CO2-emissions avoided 19.5 t CO2 per year
heat Reduction of final energy 94,290 kWh/a
collector area
investment costs
62 per apartment:* 743 €
Contact
* without consideration of subsidies
u Asilo dei Vecchi ** calculated
via Carlo Alberto Tron, 27
San Germano Chisone, Italy
h Giorgio Baret
k
1 +39 0121 58855

! asilo.sangermano@tpellice.it

F k social buildings
especially during system design and the instal- Comments

lation. Finally, an adequate monitoring plan
■ The collector was designed
should track the operation of each system."
for hot water preparation but
Technical Description also supports the heating
system because of the exi-
The central heating system provides heat for
sting hydraulic scheme. The
hot tap water and space heating.
system is running properly
Together with the solar system, a new gas
and is monitored monthly.
condensing boiler was installed. The existing
Performance data for the
boiler is used to cover the peak loads.
system is available on the
province government's web-
site.
Financing
The solar thermal system in San Germano is
one of three systems financed by the province
of Turin as part of a demonstration program.
The province of Turin subsidised 40 % of the
system costs.
Vacuum-tube col-
lectors on the roof
of the retirement
home in San
Germano Chisone
Marstal
Marstal
District Heating
Motivation
The plant is part of the national strategy to
develop large-scale solar heating systems for
district heating and for seasonal heat storage.

Year of construction of CSTS 1996 – 2003
Private company Gross area of collectors 19,000 m2
various, 1,420 users Thermal output 12,850 kWth
19,000 m2 various types Collector yield approx. 464 kWh/(m2 ·a)
of collectors (gross area),
ground mounted Total cost of solar heating/
hot water system 7,333,000 €
8,824,000 kWh/a output
of solar heat Financing 40 % self-financing
23 % loans, 37 % subsidies
CO2-emissions avoided 2,500 t/a
Reduction of final energy 7,792,000 kWh/a
collector area
64 investment costs
per apartment:* 10,476 €
Contact
u Marstal District Heating * without consideration of subsidies
** monitored
Jagtvej 2
5960 Marstal, Denmark
h
k
Leo Holm Petersen
1 +45 62 53 15 64
I +45 62 53 15 64
! info@solarmarstal.dk
www.solarmarstal.dk

G other applications

■ operation mode: variable ■ „The project in Marstal has,
■ type of hot water heating: decentralised together with other projects
■ type of space heating: central on Aeroe, provided a basis for
■ seasonal storage: 14,000 m3 a new industry on the small
island of Aeroe. Main activi-
Financing ties include the production
The entire system was built in a number of of large solar collectors and
phases. In general, 30% of the grants came heat exchanger units.”
from the Danish Energy Agency. The latest
addition was partly subsidised by the EU.
Aerial photo of
Marstal and a part
of the collector
field
Techcentre ŠPAN – Brezovica pri Ljubljani
Car Centre
Motivation
„Špan Company has been constantly growing
for 25 years now, and has always been con-
cerned about protecting the environment.
Our experiences have been so positive that we
suggest everyone, especially large consumers
of hot tap water and service water, to install a
solar system. Unfortunately, in 2005, there were
no governmental subsidies available, as had
been the case before, so we had to build the
system exclusively with our own financing.“

Family company Aperture area of collectors 28 m2
Car Centre Thermal output 20 kWth
43 m2 vacuum tube col- Collector output approx. 669 kWh/(m2 ·a)
lectors (gross area),
on a flat roof Total cost of solar heating/
heat Subsidies 0%
Replaced energy source Liquid gas
collector area per

100 m2 heated area: 0.9 m2
66 100 m2 heated area:* 1,526 €
heat demand: n/a
u Špan d.o.o.
Tržaška 537
1351 Brezovica pri Ljubljani
Slovenia
h
k
Mr Ludvik Špan Restaurant
und garage
1 +386 1 365 8110
I +386 1 365 8122
! span@siol.net
www.span.si

G other applications

The solar system that is used for hot water ■ According to observations of
preparation, the heating of a coffeehouse and system performance made
heating the service water in the carwash, con- since the system went into
sists of ten units of vacuum solar collectors operation in October 2005,
with heat pipes (30 pipes to one unit). The the system is very reliable
units are connected in series; the flow of heat due to the combination of
transfer fluid is variable and depends on the antifreeze, drain-back tech-
temperature of the collectors' output. nology and overheating
■ operation mode: variable protection. The prioritising
■ type of hot water heating: central of heat storage and variable
■ type of space heating: central flow operation contributes
■ buffer storage: 1.5 m3 to the high solar collector
yield.
Financing
The system was paid for by the owner. The
final price of the system was EUR 1,053 per m2
of solar collector area. Only one third of this
price was the cost of the solar collectors due
to the high quality of installed elements and
rather complex configuration of the system.
Unfortunately, in the year 2005, subsidies for
the financing of solar systems were not availa-
ble, as was the case in the previous year.
Vacuum-tube col-
lectors and solar
storage tank of
the car centre
Špan
Outlook
Outlook
The best practice examples from the SOLARGE People will expect higher standards of well-
project provide a compelling demonstration of being in both residential buildings and work-
the advanced state of technology in large solar place environments, increasing the need for air
thermal systems. conditioning and hence cooling, especially in
Southern Europe. Solar thermal energy will be
Research and development continue, however, increasingly important here, too, not least
as do market trends, and will further accelera- because collectors provide shade for the buil-
te the adoption of solar thermal energy in ding’s envelope and so reduce the need for
Europe. cooling.
For example, industry and researchers are Besides their use in residential buildings,
working on the development of storage units hotels and public facilities, solar thermal
with greater storage densities and more com- systems will become increasingly widespread
pact dimensions. By 2030, buildings supplied in industrial applications. In the none-too-
100% by solar energy could be standard in distant future, solar collectors will be able to
Europe. supply process heat at temperatures of more
than 250 °C. Laundries, electroplating opera-
Architecturally attractive integration of collec- tions and drying plants (for example in the
tors into the building envelope will also be- coatings industry) will increasingly be oper-
come increasingly widespread. No longer just ated with the aid of solar thermal energy.
heat generators, collectors will become part of
the roof cladding and a functional design ele-
ment in facades.
Driven by the climate change debate and

rising oil prices, it will become far more com-
mon to design buildings from a total energy
consumption standpoint. Solar thermal energy
will play a major role here.
68
Window integrated collector Fresnel collector for a solar cooling system

Photo: Robin Sun in Bergamo, Italy
Photo: PSE
Facade integrated collectors
Photo: GREENoneTEC / ESTIF
Publisher’s Information
Published by SOLARGE project coordinator Ecofys Netherlands BV

(Netherlands)
Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft e.V. target GmbH (Germany)
Energieforum Ecofys S. L. (Spain)
Stralauer Platz 34 Project partners
ENERPLAN – Association
10243 Berlin/Germany
ADEME – Agence de l’Environne- Professionnelle de l'Energie Solaire
ment et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie (France)
Compiled and market written by
(France)
ESTIF – European Solar Thermal
BSW Bundesverband
Ambiente Italia srl (Italy) Industry Federation (Belgium)
Solarwirtschaft e.V. (Germany)
Berliner Energieagentur GmbH Rambøll Danmark A/S (Denmark)
in collaboration with the
(Germany)
SOLARGE partners University of Ljubljana – Faculty of
Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft e. V. Mechanical Engineering (Slovenia)
Design (Germany)
triolog Freiburg (Germany)
70
www.solarge.org
The sole responsibility supported by

for the content of this
publication lies with
the authors. It does
not necessarily reflect
the opinion of the
European Communities.
The European Commis-
sion is not responsible
for any use that may be
made of the informa-
tion contained therein.

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Solar Heat for

Guidelines and Practical

Examples for Apartment

Buildings, Hotels and

Rising oil and gas prices, climate change and

The SOLARGE Team

Foreword Y 3 Best Practice Catalogue Y 24

Large Solar Thermal Systems Y 6 Hot Water Systems Y 26

Fields of Application Y 8 Hot Water and

Heating Circuits Y 16 Outlook Y 68

Costs of Solar Thermal Y 18 Publisher's Information Y 70

Solar Air Conditioning in Y 22

Large Solar Thermal Systems

Electricity 15 GWth GWth/a Growth of solar

Solar thermal energy can be used wherever Public buildings

Apartment buildings Hotels and restaurants

Apartment building, Salzburg, Austria Hotel du Golf de Valescure, France

Swimming pools Car washes

50 m Overnight stays in 2003

Bed occupancy and solar power

Most modern solar thermal

Collector types overview

Seasonal thermal storage technologies

Borehole heat storage Gravel/water heat storage Aquifer heat storage

Heat exchanger Control

A well coordinated control of solar and auxiliary

Centralised heat control station for solar and conven-

A solar thermal system with

Reflecting differences in culture and climate, Solar hot water supply

Photo: Pracatinat, Fenestrelle, Italy Photo: Neuhof-Canonniers, Strasbourg, France

Estimate hot water needs

Central heating systems Fresh water units/

Solar heat storage, auxiliary heating unit and control

Serially connected Parallel-connected

Bivalent hot tap

* also as fully Collectors

Hot water units

Costs of Solar Thermal Systems

A solar thermal system (including pipework, Planning scenario 3:

Solar district heating networks

Annual global irradiation [kWh/(m2 · a)]

1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000

changes to the building been taken into

40° installation Integrated collectors

Solar Air Conditioning in a Nutshell

Solar air conditioning – absorption chiller

Solar air conditioning – adsorption chiller in the

Best Practice Catalogue

The systems presented by way of example in Survey

Besides hot water and space heating, some of

Scheme 1: Direct piping Scheme 2: Two-pipe installation Scheme 3: Two-pipe installation

The number of systems selected bears no

Vèrtix - San Cugat des Vallès Barcelona

*costs without conventional heating system

For further information, please refer to www.solarge.org

Technical Description Comments

Tablis Wonen - Sperwerflat I

Profile Facts in brief

90 m2 flat-plate collector Total costs of solar