Procedures for Environmental Performance Assessment of Solar Thermal Systems

The NEGST group has prepared proposals for rules on how to produce an environmental fact sheet that will make it possible to compare different environmental investigations of solar thermal systems (STS), and to compare the performances of different solar thermal products and heating systems. The aim of the Environmental Fact Sheet is both objectively to declare a thorough presentation of an inventory of resource use (energy and material), emissions, waste, recycling etc. for the STS product.s complete life cycle, and at the same time to provide an immediate, objective and easily understandable overview of the most important assessments of the STS.s environmental impact.

The Environmental Fact Sheet therefore consists of the following:

• Rules for performing a life cycle inventory

• Declarations of the STS product

• Annual collector energy output

• Energy yield ratio

• Avoided global warming impact

The Environmental Fact Sheet should be a certified declaration, and may form the basis for future labelling of Solar Thermal Systems. An example of an environmental fact  sheet is given in the Appendix.