COUNTRY REPORT: Sweden Prepared by: SP Technical Research Institute f Sweden Versin 2.0 Date: April 19, 2011 Address: Bx 857, SE-501 15 Brås, Sweden Tel. : +46 10 516 56 62 Fax : +46 33 13 19 79 E-mail: peter.kvacs@sp.se QAiST is supprted by: Prject IEE/08/593/SI2.529236
This shrt reprt includes a brief descriptin f the mst imprtant elements in Swedish regulatins and certificatin/subsidy schemes related t slar thermal prducts. The descriptin is valid fr April 2011 1. Regulatry Framewrk Building Regulatin (general) Building regulatins are natinal (BFS 1993:57 with changes t 2010:29). The municipal building department is respnsible fr making sure that they are fllwed. There are n special rules/regulatins fr slar thermal systems/ cmpnents in the building regulatins but it is beneficial t install slar thermal r PV with respect t energy requirements. A clause stating that useful energy generated by such equipment (munted n a building r within the building plt) may be deducted frm the specific energy requirement f the building. The general regulatins fr installatins shall f curse be fllwed (cncerning e.g. freezing risks, rf tightness, etc.). The current building regulatins d nt include any calculatin prcedure t assess savings by slar thermal. Sweden is develping guidelines t realize the EU directive n nearly zer energy buildings. SP has a majr rle as a cnsultant t the Swedish Energy Administratin in this wrk. Registratin A slar energy system shall in many municipalities be registered t the lcal authrities. This is smetimes cnnected t an administrative cst (apprximately 100-200 ). Safety cntrl and cmfrt The building regulatins require that all cmpnents in a fresh water installatin shall withstand at least 10 bars. Temperatures at the ht water tap exceeding 60 C are nt allwed, and the system must be able t deliver at least 50 C at the tap. Public Incentives (subsidies, rdinances r ther) Relevant incentives: There is a natinal subsidy scheme fr installatin f slar heating systems with glazed cllectrs (bth fr individuals and cmpanies, and 1 The riginal reprt was published in 2007 and was develped in the framewrk f the prject Slar Keymark II with the supprt f the Intelligent Energy Eurpe prgramme. Prject IEE/08/593/SI2.529236 Cuntry reprt: Sweden Page 2 f 7
bth fr residential buildings, pl r camping sites and fr industrial prcesses. It is based n the calculated grss annual energy utput f the slar cllectrs in the system. The cllectrs must be certified accrding t Slar Keymark r equivalent certificatin scheme in rder t be eligible fr subsidies. - The maximum subsidy limit is abut 800 (7 500 SEK) per apartment/single-family huse and 330 000 (3 millin SEK) fr a prject. There is a limited ttal amunt available fr these subsidies. - The subsidy is given fr the cmplete installatin independent f lcatin f the slar cllectrs. - The present subsidy scheme is frm January 2009. The Swedish Gvernment has annunced that the scheme will mst likely be terminated in December 2011, since the market is cnsidered strng enugh withut it. There are nging negtiatins between the Swedish Slar Energy Assciatin and gvernment representatives. - The interest in large slar heating plants has increased nticeable after the latest slar heating subsidy. The Swedish Slar Energy Assciatin suggests that the subsidy remains fr larger installatins. There is anther natinal subsidy given as tax reductins crrespnding t 50 % f the cst fr labr fr actins n a building (at maximum 5 400 per persn and year). It cannt be cmbined with the slar heating subsidy, but can be used t supprt installatins f small slar heating systems when the slar heating subsidy is terminated. Anther natinal subsidy is given fr grid-cnnected PV installatins frm July 2009 until December 2011 cvering 60 % f the ttal cst (55 % fr large cmpanies) and at maximum 200 000 per building. There is a limited ttal budget available fr these subsidies and the applicatins already greatly exceed available funds. It is at present unclear what will happen t the PV subsidy, but new subsidies will be given fr PV and bigas systems (limited t a ttal amunt f abut 6.4 millin ) in 2012. The Swedish prperty tax des nt include slar energy installatins, which means that the present taxatin rules d nt punish slar installatins in single-family huses. The Swedish Natinal Bard f Husing, Building and Planning and the Swedish Energy Agency realize an infrmatin campaign n slar heating twards sprts assciatins, camp sites, tenants assciatins and small industries. Requirements fr supprt schemes: There is n efficiency requirement fr the slar heating subsidy scheme but it is perfrmance related based n calculated grss annual energy gain frm the cllectr. The requirements are that the cllectr is tested accrding t EN 12975 and certified accrding t Slar Keymark, r that Prject IEE/08/593/SI2.529236 Cuntry reprt: Sweden Page 3 f 7
it fulfils the requirements f Slar Keymark, and that an accredited labratry has perfrmed the annual energy gain calculatins. There are als requirements f an installer manual in Swedish in accrdance with the EN 12975 requirements. There are n specific quality requirements fr the PV supprt scheme. Testing SP Technical Research Institute f Sweden is the nly test institute in Sweden accredited t perfrm tests accrding t EN 12975, EN 12976. There are n accredited labratries fr PV in Sweden. Certificatin Prduct certificatin: A certificatin scheme fr slar cllectrs, the P-marking, is running since 1991. Certificates are issued by SP Certificatin. Requirements are basically EN 12975 fr slar cllectrs and EN 12976 fr systems. SP Certificatin is the nly rganizatin in Sweden empwered t certify cllectrs and factry made systems with the Slar Keymark since the beginning f 2004. Since 2011 slar cllectrs must fulfil the requirements f Slar Keymark t achieve gvernmental subsidies. Installer certificatin: The Slar Energy Assciatin f Sweden intrduced a certificatin scheme fr installers in the slar business in 2010, which is nw running and extending frm a reginal pilt prject t a natinal level. Installer certificatin is nt a requirement. The ambitin f the Swedish Slar Energy Assciatin is t extend the certificatin scheme t eventually include installers f PV systems as well. Insurance Leakages thrugh the rf is nrmally nt cvered by the insurance if it is a result f pr cllectr munting, but damages due t leaking pipes are cvered. The slar cllectrs are included in the huse insurance. There are n particular rules fr vacuum tube cllectrs. Prject IEE/08/593/SI2.529236 Cuntry reprt: Sweden Page 4 f 7
Other relevant infrmatin The Ec Design Directive as well as the Energy Labelling Directive will have a great impact n the slar energy industry. SP Technical Research Institute f Sweden perfrms testing and prduct certificatin f DHW and cmbi tanks accrding t its wn certificatin system (Pmarking), but it is nt a requirement. SP als perfrms system testing f cmbined bi energy and slar heating systems accrding t the 6 days methd. Energy labelling f a building is mainly based n infrmatin given by the wner. The infrmatin is authrized by an independent energy expert, wh in turn registers the infrmatin at the Swedish Natinal Bard f Husing, Building and Planning. Actin prpsals, alng with the energy label, are sent t the building wner. Research related t slar thermal energy is mainly cnducted at SP Technical Research Institute f Sweden and at SERC, Dalarna University. SP mainly wrks within quality assurance f slar heating technlgy and develpment related t EU directives. Slar thermal cllectrs fr ht water prductin are mre r less standard in Swedish passive huses and in sme nearly zer energy buildings. In recent years, slar heating has been highlighted in the building cdes as a means t reduce the amunt f purchased energy and t fulfil the requirements f the building regulatins. Prject IEE/08/593/SI2.529236 Cuntry reprt: Sweden Page 5 f 7
Trade Barriers The Swedish district heating cmpanies have mnply n the distributin netwrks. Third party access (TPA) t the district heating netwrk, prescribed by law, wuld be favurable fr the develpment f slar thermal applicatins in Sweden. TPA is currently under investigatin by the Swedish Gvernment. In general, there is nly a limited f interest in slar heating technlgy amng installers and system designers. Uncertainty regarding the natinal subsidies influences the market, and thereby the slar trade, negatively. Quality assurance f slar heating systems is t a large extent still missing in Sweden. The custmers thereby have limited access t reliable infrmatin n system perfrmance. System testing as well as tests fr cmbi tanks and ther system cmpnents are, hwever, presently ffered by SP. Net debiting wuld increase the prfitability f dmestic PV systems. The issue has been investigated by Swedish authrities, but n further actins have been taken s far. At present sme Energy Utilities are ffering net debiting n a vluntary basis. Actins needed Regulatin - A Eurpean standard prcedure fr calculating f the influence f slar thermal systems n the energy perfrmance f buildings has been prepared by CEN (EN 15316-4-3). In Sweden a further prmtin f this prcedure is needed s that it will actually be used during the declaratin f buildings energy perfrmance. - Examples f practical use f the building regulatins n hw slar thermal energy can be deducted frm the specific energy requirement fr the building shuld be given. The regulatins shuld als allw fr cllectrs nt munted directly n the building t be eligible fr this kind f deductin. - Registratin rules: Wrk fr remval f extra csts (where such exists) cnnected t building applicatin at lcal authrities. Subsidies - Get inspiratin frm ther cuntries cncerning effective subsidy r prmtin schemes. - Investigate pssibilities fr implementing a green heat certificate scheme allwing als small slar heating systems t trade CO2 emissin allwances. This certificatin shuld make use f the Eurpean standards and the Slar Keymark. Prject IEE/08/593/SI2.529236 Cuntry reprt: Sweden Page 6 f 7
Testing - Prmting the use f EN testing t the Swedish manufacturers and t manufacturers in the neighburing cuntries. In particular, system testing accrding t EN 12976 shuld be encuraged. Certificatin - The industry shuld be encuraged t perfrm system testing (e.g. ht water systems, cmbined bi energy and slar heating) as well as testing ther cmpnents in slar heating systems (e.g. cmbi tanks). Prject IEE/08/593/SI2.529236 Cuntry reprt: Sweden Page 7 f 7