Solar Energy Industries Association and U.S. Solar Heating

Today the Solar Energy Industries Association and the U.S. Solar Heating and Cooling Council (SHC Council) launched the U.S. Solar Heating & Cooling Alliance (SHC Alliance). The Alliance is focused on growing the solar heating and cooling market through reducing barriers and advocating for policies on the federal, state and local levels."We're thrilled that this partnership between SEIA and the U.S solar heating and cooling (SHC) industry has been established to focus on securing pathways to greater deployment of solar heating and cooling technologies," said newly elected SHC Alliance Chairman Mike Healy. "This collaboration will empower us to heighten awareness of this technology and the benefits it can provide to families and businesses."
"SEIA encourages all companies and organizations interested in the expansion of the solar heating and cooling sector in the U.S. to join the SHC Alliance," said SEIA president and CEO Rhone Resch. "Solar heating and cooling is an expanding, significant sector of our industry -- which is providing affordable, accessible and reliable clean energy technology for our nation while helping us achieve energy independence and security."Solar and heating cooling technologies comprise a growing proportion of the solar technologies being deployed throughout the U.S. They collect the thermal energy from the sun and use this heat to provide hot water, space heating, cooling, and pool heating for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. These technologies displace the need to use electricity or natural gas.
Today, Americans across the country are at work manufacturing and installing solar heating and cooling systems that significantly reduce our dependence on imported fuels. In 2010, the U.S. saw 35,464 solar water heating systems and 29,540 solar pool heating systems installed, heating a total of more than 65,000 homes, businesses and pools.Renewables are not just of interest to Abu Dhabi for domestic power generation. The expanding international market provides a promising investment opportunity. Masdar is involved in building state-of-the-art solar plants in Spain and owns 20 percent of the "London Array", the world's biggest offshore wind farm, off the coast of England.Presenting the UN Network for Sustainable Development Solutions at Sustainability Week in Abu Dhabi in January, Tubiana said even if the transition in the region itself was a slow one, the Gulf states' willingness to invest in innovative technologies which would only make a return in the longer term would help renewables to become competitive.