Dec 17, 2015 – Two solar KEYMARK certificates have been issued for the SolarWall® air heating technologies. This is a significant event in the world of renewable energy because the Solar KEYMARK certification has been instrumental in helping to drive the uptake in solar thermal technologies across the European Union. Up to now, mainly water heating systems have been certified under the EU’s Solar KEYMARK program, despite the fact that space heating and process heating can represent up to +50% of a building’s energy demand. This means that for the European Union’s 20% Renewable Energy targets to be successful, technologies that displace space heating are an essential requirement.
The Solar KEYMARK is the main quality label for solar thermal technologies in the EU. It demonstrates to end-users that a product conforms to the relevant European standards and that the solar energy produced from the system will contribute to the on-site renewable energy targets. It also allows technologies to become eligible for subsidies.
The SolarWall® system is a building integrated solar air heating system that utilizes solar radiation to deliver naturally warmed fresh air into buildings, providing a renewable heat source. Installed as an additional skin to a building to create an air cavity, the SolarWall technology consists of a pre-coated steel collector with thousands of carefully engineered perforations spread across its surface to collect the heated air. As sunlight strikes the surface of the steel skin, the energy is absorbed, heating the surface and creating a thermal boundary layer. In turn, this layer of heated air which lines the face of the collector is drawn through the perforations and into the building’s ventilation system.
The new European Norm EN13779, which stipulates mandatory fresh air ventilation requirements for buildings with tighter building envelopes, also fits well with the SolarWall technology’s ability to heat large volumes of fresh air.
The SolarWall technologies displaces up to 50% of a building’s space heating expense. It established the global standard for solar air heating and is in use around the world on thousands of commercial, industrial and agricultural buildings. The SolarWall® systems are unique in that they are all-steel, building-integrated & site-built using local labour. In addition, they require virtually no maintenance over their 30+ year lifespan.
Press Contact:
Victoria Hollick; vhollick@solarwall.com