Solar district heating (SDH) plants are a large-scale solar thermal technology supplying renewable, zeroemission heat from large collector fields via district heating networks to residential and industrial areas. SDH plants are usually operated by local district heat suppliers. They are the key actors for SDH. Therefore, five national district heating associations (or groups) from Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the European roof association Euroheat & Power joined with acknowledged experts on the field of SDH for the Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) project SDHtake-off. The project actions follow a comprehensive approach for a market introduction of SDH, contributing to a development to its full long term potential, which experts estimate at 5 to 10% of district heat from solar and an annual solar heat production in Europe of 100 to 200 PJ. Solites is initiator and coordinator of the SDHtake-off project. Long-term research programmes in Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Austria led to SDH demonstration plants, operating today at feasible heat cost. Twenty years of operational experience, plant technology and know-how are available from these programmes. Since the mid of this decade there is an increased interest in the commercial operation of SDH, mainly by utilities but also from local authorities and the housing sector. SDH presently makes the step into the market.
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