In mid-2015 was held in San Jose, Costa Rica an international event to bring together experts from different countries to share experiences on solar thermal technology developed in their areas.
The forum was jointly organized by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) and the National Metrology Institute of Germany (PTB).
The forum aimed to bring together experts to support the implementation of mechanisms for quality assurance in order to increase confidence in the technology and spur development, issues of products control, installations and installers, and a visit to the laboratory of solar energy and energy efficiency facilities of the Costa Rican Energy Institute was held.
The most important technical standards of the sector in Costa Rica are:
INTE * 03/01/28 / 2013. Solar thermal systems and components. Solar collectors. General requirements
INTE * 03/02/28 / 2013 Thermal solar systems and their components. Prefabricated systems. General requirements
INTE * ISO 9459-2 / 2013 Solar Energy. Systems for domestic water heating. External test methods for the characterization and yearly performance prediction of solar systems.
In Costa Rica, 41,3% of households use hot water systems (ACS), which mostly operate with electric power.
These systems represent an estimated national consumption of over 250 GWh / year.
It is very evident the need to establish a set of policies and incentives in order to achieve mass use of solar thermal technology in the residential sector.
These should include a technology implementation strategy, covering regulatory aspects, technical training and creation of laws governing the sector.
The aim would be to create a framework to introduce solar thermal systems to replace electric water heating equipment.
The country has approximately 1,200,000 homes for about 4,500,000 inhabitants (3,75 persons / household), of which only 3% are multifamily housing.
It follows that the basic ACS system for the average residential sector of Costa Rica with country radiation levels, would be payed at a more than reasonable time.
One of the most important facilities is located in a Tamarindo (Guanacaste) hotel.
A total of 164 collectors (330 m²) and 25,000 liters storage supplies hot water to 240 rooms and an industrial laundry, generating 529,600 kWh annually.
The investment will pay off in just 36 months with the savings generated.