Solar thermal jumps one-third in U.S

WASHINGTON, DC, US, October 22, 2007. Total shipments of solar collectors in the United States increased 29% last year from 2005, reaching 20.7 million square feet in 2006 and boosting the ten-year total to 118,026 million square feet.

The growth was due to record high energy prices, the impact of state Renewable Portfolio Standards, increased focus on global warming, and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which provides tax credits for solar installations, the Department of Energy explains in ‘Annual Solar Thermal Collector Manufacturers Survey.’ Domestic shipments rose 33% to 19.5 million square feet.

“As demand for solar energy continued to grow, the solar energy industry was shadowed by the steep increases in the cost of raw materials like copper and high-grade silicon,” the report explains. “Also putting upward cost pressure on solar energy equipment was the shortage of trained workers, as several new firms began competing with major manufacturers for the same work force. Also during 2006, solar companies from China and Germany exhibited a strong interest in entering the U.S. solar energy market.”

Forty-four companies were actively involved in shipping solar thermal collectors last year, an increase of 76% from the year prior. The average price for solar thermal collector doubled to US$5.84 per square foot in 2006 from $2.86 in 2005.

The residential sector continues to be the prime market for solar thermal, accounting for 73% (15.1 million square feet) of total shipments, of which most is low-temperature collectors for swimming pools and medium-temperature collectors for domestic water heating. Last year, collectors shipped to the residential sector increased 3% over 2005, but a “significant shift” due to the Nevada Solar One plant means the U.S. utility sector now is the second-largest market for solar thermal collectors, ahead of the commercial sector, with 18.5% of total shipments.

The Nevada Solar One solar thermal plant has a capacity of 64 MW and covers 400 acres in the El Dorado Valley near Las Vegas, Nevada. It uses 760 parabolic cylinder concentrators with 219,000 mirrors to concentrate solar rays onto 18,000 receiver tubes to generate 134 million kWh of electricity a year, enough to power 15,000 homes.

“Although the pool heating sector maintains its position as the largest end use sector for solar thermal collectors, its 2006 market share declined to 74% from 94% of total shipment in 2005,” the report explains. The quantity of pool heaters remained relatively unchanged at 15 million square feet but the Nevada Solar One project means the power sector has replaced the hot water sector as the second-largest end use for solar thermal collectors.

Last year, 78% of all collectors were produced in five states: New Jersey, California, Nevada, Florida, and Tennessee, with 53% shipped from New Jersey and California alone. More than 73% of all collectors were shipped to five destinations: Florida, California, Nevada, Arizona, and New York, with Florida and California accounting for 46% of total shipments.

The revenue for all U.S. shipments increased to $121 million last year, up from $46 million in 2005. Average price for low-temperature collectors decreased to $1.95 for square foot from $2.00 in 2005, while the average price for medium- and high-temperature collectors decreased from $18.77 to $17.47.

Click here for more info...

To receive news and features like this direct to your inbox sign-up for the Renewable Energy Focus E-News.

Simply register your details to receive a fortnightly roundup of the latest news from the renewables industries direct to your inbox.

If you would like to advertise in the enewsletter please contact our sales team.

If you have some news for the renewables industry or would like to comment on any of the articles on this site, contact our editorial team.

You can also access the full list of contacts here.