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| Renewable Heating Forum at Intersolar Europe 2014  For the first time, Intersolar Europe is staging a three-day forum spotlighting the technologies, current guidelines and political frameworks in the field of renewable heating. The Forum on Renewable Heating in hall C4 of the exhibition will be opened on June 4, 2014 at 10:30am by Hans-Josef Fell, President of the Energy Watch Group, Germany, in a presentation entitled "One hundred percent renewable heating – also a necessity for independence from Russian energy sources."The solar thermal systems and wood pellet boilers installed in Germany prior to 2013 could replace energy imports worth 33 billion euros over the next 20 years. This is equivalent to an output of some 300 terawatt hours (TWh), or the annual energy needs of 1.25 million households, during this period. The potential for use of such systems in Germany is far from being exhausted, however. Reason enough to think more deeply about renewable heating systems as an alternative to energy imports, and not least because the crisis in Ukraine and the strained relations between Russia and the EU could also affect Europe's gas supply in the medium term. A recent study by the Berlin-based Energy Watch Group shows that the only way to gain energy independence from Russia is by using renewable energy. In light of the current discussions surrounding energy policy, the forum thus offers practical solutions to counteract this dependency. Resource scarcity is therefore just one of the reasons why wind and solar power, biomass, geothermal energy and hydropower will provide the energy of the future. The Forum on Renewable Heating showcases comprehensive solutions and demonstrates new approaches for the energy transition in the heating market. Numerous presentations at the forum provide a stage for energy industry experts to discuss the latest conditions and future technologies. Expert presentations and discussions The Forum on Renewable Heating takes place from June 4–6, 2014. The first day's presentations initially focus on the topic of pellet heating systems. Thereafter, four presentations shed light on heating supply in municipal districts, and a block of presentations on the topic of energy storage follows. Experts from industry and research will provide information in their presentations on innovative technologies, current projects and the necessity of alternative energy sources. Each topic block is concluded with a discussion. Combined heating systems in vogue The second day of the Forum on Renewable Heating puts hybrid heat generation solutions under the spotlight. Here, possibilities for linking different energy sources are examined and discussed – even encompassing complete systems for the generation, storage, distribution and transfer of heat. Combing a decentralized CHP plant with photovoltaics, for example, may be the ideal solution for a private home wishing to supply its own power. The forum turns its attention to the legal framework for solar thermal technologies and pellet heating systems. The EU Regulation on eco-design requirements for water heaters and hot water storage tanks – or energy labeling for short – aims to introduce new minimum requirements and an energy label for heating systems from 2015 onward. Renewable heating systems will benefit from this new legislation the most. The potential it offers will be discussed in the session entitled "Solar thermal technologies: energy labeling – current status, challenges & opportunities for solar thermal technology providers". Expertise on heating system upgrades Presentations on the third day of the forum center on the topics of heating system upgrades and heat pump systems. A session on revisions to the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV 2014) is followed by a presentation on producing electricity with fuel cells. Another technology that can be used to replace outdated heating equipment, and thus contribute to the energy transition, is that of heat pump systems: Three sessions and a panel discussion are dedicated to new trends and technologies in this field. Hybrid solutions that store electricity as heat, for example those combining heat pumps and photovoltaics, provide a further topic of discussion. write your comments about the article :: © 2014 Construction News :: home page |