Solar water heaters in China: A new day dawning

Abstract

a b s t r a c t Solar thermal utilization, especially the application of solar water heater technology, has developed rapidly in China in recent decades. Manufacturing and marketing developments have been especially strong in provinces such as Zhejiang, Shandong and Jiangsu. This paper takes Zhejiang, a relatively affluent province, as a case study area to assess the performance of solar water heater utilization in China. The study will focus on institutional setting, economic and technological performance, energy performance, and environmental and social impact. Results show that China has greatly increased solar water heater utilization, which has brought China great economic, environmental and social benefits. However, China is confronted with malfeasant market competition, technical flaws in solar water heater products and social conflict concerning solar water heater installation. For further development of the solar water heater, China should clarify the compulsory installation policy and include solar water heaters into the current ''Home Appliances Going to the Countryside'' project; most of the widely used vacuum tube products should be replaced by flat plate products, and the technology improvement should focus on anti-freezing and water saving; the resources of solar water heater market should be consolidated and most of the OEM manufacturers should evolve to ODM and OBM enterprises.

The Role of Renewable Energy in the Promotion of Circular Urban Metabolism

“…The success of the dissemination of these systems is due not only to the lack of fossil resources but also to an industrial structure, economic incentives and municipal policies. In addition to the solar thermal technology, a positive image of the use of this technology was developed, which has allowed broad public acceptance [106].…”

“…While it is true that the storage of electrical energy can be a solution, more research is required to make it a viable technical and economic option [112]. Thermal storage, which has a lower cost, is a mature and widely used option [106,133].…”

Renewable energy deployment to combat energy crisis in Pakistan

“…It is estimated that approximately 9500 of solar water heating units will be operated in the country by 2015, and projected to be 24,000 units by 2020 without any governmental subsidies [38]. According to Han et al [39], utilizing solar water heating technology instead of natural gas or conventional sources has significant advantages on economic, environmental, and social sustainability.…”

“…The technology desalinates brackish water or seawater either using solar distillation or an indirect method whilst converting the solar energy into heat or electricity [39][40][41]. It is an environmentally advantageous and cost-effective technology; hence, it is much patronized by communities in rural regions [41].…”

Alternative Energy Development and China's Energy Future

“…The integrated solar water heaters have negligible market share in China with only 1% in 2004 and are used primarily in frost-free southern regions (Li, 2005). Of the two types of split solar water heaters, the Chinese market has been increasingly dominated by evacuated or vacuum tube system water heaters with a 35% market share in 1997 rising to a 95.4% market share in 2007 (Li and Hu, 2005;Han et al, 2010). China thus differs from the EU and other countries where flat plate collector systems dominate the solar water heating market with an 86% share in the EU.…”