In Windhoek SOLTRAIN+ and the IEA SHC Task 69 are joining forces for a full week of activities on the topic ‘Solar Heat for 2030’. It is scheduled to take place from 23 to 26 September 2025 in Windhoek, Namibia. International experts in solar heating are invited as well as local stakeholders and experts with regards to Standards and Certification, thermosiphon systems and PV hot water systems. This joint meeting will serve as a platform where the SOLTRAIN+ and IEA SHC Task 69 will deliberate on subjects of common interest.
The aim of IEA SHC Task 69 ‘Solar Heat for 2030’ is to create a new basis for the successful, broad, global use of thermosiphon systems and solar PV hot water systems for the year 2030 and beyond by developing efficient and reliable system configurations for hot water preparation that are optimally adapted to local conditions and market structures.
The Task's research seeks to address technical questions with regards to thermosiphon and solar PV hot water systems and put into place targeted steps to generate comprehensive, detailed data on installed systems and current market developments at a global level. Best practice systems are documented for solar thermal thermosiphon systems as well as for solar PV hot water systems, and work on norms and technical standards is undertaken. The IEA SHC Task 69 aims at global knowledge exchange, thereby promoting cooperation between the solar thermal and solar PV sectors.
The agenda of the ‘Solar Heat for 2030’ Week:
- Tuesday 23rd of September 2025: Training Course:
The IEA SHC Task 69 team will present findings on the ‘Solar Heat for 2030’ project in relation to Standards and Certification, whereas the SOLTRAIN+ project will present the initial findings of a comparative study performed on three different solar water heating technologies installed at the NEI/NUST test facility in Windhoek, Namibia in the frame of a Specialised Training Course on thermosiphon systems as part of the SOLTRAIN+ activities.
- Wednesday 24th of September 2025: Gender Workshop
Recognising the importance of inclusivity, the joint meeting will further offer a one-day workshop focusing on Gender Mainstreaming in the solar industry. An overview of the connection between gender equality, women's empowerment, sustainable energy, and climate change will be given and methodologies, tools, and frameworks for effective gender mainstreaming presented to incorporate gender perspectives into the design and development of projects focused on renewable energies. Further, key performance indicators (KPIs) and monitoring & evaluation (M&E) frameworks to assess gender impacts, along with gender analysis techniques that highlight best practices and lessons learned will be discussed. The workshop also focuses on experiences from the SOLTRAIN+ Gender & Diversity work stream and insights, obstacles, and effective practices in cooperation with the SOLTRAIN+ country gender managers will be presented.
- Thursday 25th of September 2025: Project meeting for IEA SHC Task 69 and closed SOLTRAIN+ project meeting
- Friday 26th of September 2025: Technical study tour
The program will be capped off with a technical study tour to selected solar water heating system sites around Windhoek. In SOLTRAIN a wide variety of applications have been funded ranging from thermosiphon systems to large applications at hospitals.
The joint SOLTRAIN+ / IEA SHC Task 69 Meeting in Namibia will serve as an international exchange platform for knowledge transfer on renewable heating and cooling (RHC) technologies, best practices and research work done in the sector.
For more information, please contact Helvi Ileka (Namibia Energy Institute - NEI). For registration, please contact nei@nust.na
Please find more information on SOLTRAIN+ under https://www.soltrain.org/ and on IEA SHC Task 69 under https://task69.iea-shc.org/
