Posted: August 3, 2026
\Graphic: IEA SHC
The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) Programme has unveiled the five finalists for the 2026 SHC Solar Award, recognizing outstanding innovations that are advancing solar heating and cooling technologies. This year's award highlights solutions developed within the past five years that demonstrate sustainability, measurable market impact, and a technology readiness level (TRL) of at least 7, with additional recognition given to startup companies less than ten years old. The shortlisted entries reflect the global breadth of innovation in the sector, ranging from a digital performance verification tool from Austria and a modular solar water heating system from the United Arab Emirates to PV-to-thermal retrofits from the United States, village-scale solar district heating in Germany, and an industrial solar steam application in Morocco. The winner will be announced at EuroSun 2026 in Freiburg, Germany.
“These shortlisted projects reflect exactly the kind of innovation the SHC Solar Award was created to highlight,” said Daniel Mugnier, Chair of the IEA SHC Solar Award Committee. “They show that solar heating and cooling solutions are not only technically mature, but also increasingly practical, scalable, and relevant to today’s energy and climate challenges.”
Installation of a new design solar heating solution at Rixos Al Mairid Hotel, UAE
SolarisKit’s HelioFlow deployment at the Rixos Al Mairid Hotel in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, demonstrates a solar thermal domestic hot water system engineered specifically for hot-arid Gulf conditions. The system launched by the UAE-based company SolarisKit was designed to address common regional barriers such as overheating, hard-water scaling, and storm resilience. Monitored comparison data from the site showed major reductions in backup electricity use, and the successful deployment led to a full-property rollout order, highlighting the technology’s commercial promise for hospitality and residential applications across the Gulf Cooperation Council and beyond. More info: https://solariskit.com
SunHopper-D
SunHopper-D is a PV-to-hot-water retrofit solution that powers standard immersion heaters from a dedicated PV array. Designed by the US-based company GreenPWR as a non-exporting system, it avoids many of the interconnection challenges associated with grid-connected solar while helping households increase their solar fraction for domestic hot water. Smart controls and an integrated app use weather forecasts and learn hot water usage patterns to optimise solar input, reduce grid reliance, and improve household energy resilience. The solid-state, grid-independent SunHopper-D inverter utilises predictive algorithms to maximise solar self-consumption for residential thermal energy storage. The SunHopper algorithm ensures a reliable hot water supply while driving down energy costs. More info: www.greenpwr.com
Solar district heating in Rauschenberg-Bracht and Amöneburg-Rüdigheim, Germany
These first of their kind village-scale solar district heating initiatives in Hesse, Germany, combines heat supplied predominantly by solar thermal collectors to existing rural communities. Combined with seasonal thermal storage, and heat pumps to provide low-carbon heat in a moderate climate. Implemented through citizen energy cooperatives, these projects demonstrate how centralised solar heating can support rapid, community-wide decarbonisation while strengthening local ownership and engagement. The University of Kassel, Germany, supported the implementation of the systems. The projects are also creating strong interest from other municipalities seeking practical pathways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and biomass for heat. More info: www.uni-kassel.de/go/ruralheat_en
SunPeek open-source project
SunPeek is an open-source software platform for automated performance verification and monitoring of large-scale solar thermal plants. Developed by the Austrian institute AEE INTEC to support solar district heating and industrial process heat systems, SunPeek provides an ISO 24194-aligned tool for standardised reporting, early fault detection, and long-term performance evaluation. By helping plant owners, operators, funders, and technology providers to verify actual system performance, SunPeek strengthens confidence in large-scale solar thermal investments and supports improved bankability, operation, and market growth. More info: https://sunpeek.org/
Solar Low-Pressure Steam Plant at Shell & Vivo Lubricants in Casablanca, Morocco
TVP Solars industrial solar thermal plant in Casablanca, Morocco, uses high-vacuum flat-panel collectors and a steam generation unit to produce low-pressure process steam for Shell & Vivo Lubricants. The project demonstrates a replicable approach for decarbonising industrial steam loads in sun-rich markets, particularly where propane and LPG remain dominant fuels for process heat. By producing industrial-quality steam with stationary, non-concentrating collectors, the project offers a promising model for reducing fossil fuel use in downstream oil and gas operations and other industrial sectors. More info here: https://solarthermalworld.org/news/solar-heat-for-industry-goes-global-new-medium-temperature-plants-from-morocco-to-the-usa/
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