The Solar Keymark: At ENEA a three-day session on solar thermal energy to set product certification standards
13/4/2015
The growth of the sector will allow a reduction in the use of fossil fuel boilers.
Providing certification for solar thermal panels and components to ensure high quality products and promote the growth of the sector was the aim of the three-day session held at ENEA, with the participation of operators and representatives of certification and research bodies.
The Solar Keymark is a EU certification scheme for solar thermal plants allowing to capture and store solar energy, and use it to produce domestic hot water as an alternative to fossil fuel boilers. It is also recognized outside Europe, with over 1800 solar thermal products certified by more than 700 companies in 40 countries, of which 27 in Europe and 13 in the rest of the world.
During the three days at ENEA’s headquarters in Rome, experts worked on the updating of product certification rules and sample methods used by inspectors in manufacturing companies, as well as the different technical aspects related to the introduction of energy labelling of solar thermal products according to EU regulations.
“To ensure the diffusion of high quality products in the market - says Giacobbe Braccio, Head of the Technical Unit for Technologies Development of the ENEA Trisaia Research Centre - the Solar Keymark is a mandatory requirement in several European Countries, especially Germany and Austria. The Italian Industry is also showing growing interest in obtaining the certification mark for solar thermal applications at low and medium temperature”.
The introduction of the Solar Keymark has revolutionized the solar thermal industry, providing a certification scheme playing a crucial role in breaking down trade barriers and becoming essential to the growth of the sector. In Italy the Solar Keymark is a mandatory technical requirement to obtain State Incentives.
The Solar Keymark quality assurance is guaranteed by an international network including certification bodies, test laboratories and a network of inspectors and industry representatives. ENEA is among its founding members and its Trisaia Research Center Laboratory is in the network.
“The Trisaia Laboratory – Head Vincenzo Sabatelli adds – was the first to be accredited at national level for testing according to ISO and CEN standards, and in Italy it’s the only one working on medium temperature for the production of heat for industrial purposes, for summer cooling and combined production of heat and electrical energy on a small scale”
The Trisaia Laboratory, set up in 2003, provides the relevant Italian Industry with qualification services for systems and components. As of today, it has provided qualification and certification services to over 200 solar thermal manufacturers. Recently, a test circuit for concentrating solar collectors for residential and industrial applications at medium temperature was installed, with the purpose to determine the thermal performance of components at a working temperature up to 300 °C.
For more information please contact:
Vinod Sharma, Researcher at the Technical Unit for Technologies Development of the ENEA Trisaia Research Centre, sharma@enea.it