The inauguration of the 30 MW parabolic trough plant at the Heineken factory in Seville, Spain, on 30 September 2023 was exactly on time. The investor and plant operator Engie España had to put the plant into operation before the end of September to receive the extensive subsidy of EUR 13.4 million from the European Regional Development Fund. With its 30 MW, it is the largest solar industrial heat plant in Europe. It is followed by two flat plate collector fields – 10.5 MW in Nibbixwoud, Netherlands, for the Mol Freesia farm and 10 MW for Boortmalt´s malting plant in Issoudun, Southern France. A week after the inauguration, a group of experts from the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme visited the enormous installation.

A factor of 0.7 kWth per square meter of aperture collector area for the conversion of area to power for statistics on concentrating collectors is an essential step for international 
market statistics for new solar heat capacities. So far, the factor 0.7 kWth/m² is only used for non-tracking collectors, following a recommendation published by IEA SHC in
2004. However, sales of concentrating collectors are growing worldwide and also need a conversion factor to account for this dynamically developing market segment in global
market statistics.

It can be a big challenge to contract and design a SHIP (Solar Heat for Industrial Processes) project. SHC Task 64 on Solar Process Heat is working to support planners and investors as they consider such a project. During the recent SHC Solar Academy webinar, three SHC Task 64 experts shared tips and tricks on designing a SHIP project and the success factors to consider. The webinar recording, including the Q&A session, is available at https://www.iea-shc.org/solar-academy/webinar/solar-process-heat.

Solar heat for industrial processes (SHIP) is a pivotal technology to decarbonize the industrial heat demand worldwide. And participants in SHC Task 64 on Solar Process Heat are working on the system level to identify, verify, and promote the role of solar heating plants in combination with other heat supply technologies.

Solar process heat system yields are simulated during feasibility studies and have a decisive influence on the profitability of the project investment. The large number of simulation tools available means that results can differ significantly and possibly create a lack of trust by investors. This is why a group of IEA SHC Task 64/SolarPACES Task IV: Solar Process Heat researchers, headed by Jose Cardemil, Associate Professor at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, decided to evaluate several tools by analyzing their
limitations and comparing their results.

In the context of IEA SHC Task 64: Solar Process Heat, researchers developed a method to estimate the heat load profiles of companies in industry and commerce to facilitate preliminary designs, feasibility assessments and potential studies on renewable heating systems.