SHC TCP - IEA Technology Cooperation Programme on Solar Heating and Cooling

What SHC TCP - IEA Technology Cooperation Programme on Solar Heating and Cooling does

IEA SHC is an intergovernmental Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) under the International Energy Agency, established in 1977 and headquartered under the IEA in Paris. It functions as the world's largest collaborative research network on solar heating and cooling, coordinating the work of experts from 20 member countries and the European Commission through ~75 international research Tasks spanning solar thermal heating, solar cooling, PVT systems, thermal energy storage, solar district heating, solar process heat, building-integrated solar envelope systems, and daylighting. Core deliverables include the annual Solar Heat Worldwide market and statistics report, technology position papers, task reports, fact sheets, newsletters, the Solar Academy training platform, the SHC Solar Award, and major conferences including EuroSun and SHC conferences.

The programme operates as a non-profit, government-to-government collaboration funded through member country contributions and supplemented by industry and regional sponsor organizations (e.g., Solar Heat Europe, ISES, CCREEE, EACREEE, ECREEE, SACREEE, ICIMOD/REEECH). A small secretariat (~5 staff) coordinates activities distributed across member countries; substantive research is conducted by participating national institutions, universities, and industry partners under each Task's operating agent. The go-to-market is community-led: outputs are disseminated free of charge via the iea-shc.org website, webinars, onsite training, and conferences.

Customer segments are exclusively institutional: national government energy agencies, research institutions and universities, the solar thermal industry (manufacturers, installers, service providers), and policymakers/regulators. There is no commercial pricing; outputs are publicly funded knowledge products targeted at accelerating the global deployment of solar thermal technologies. The programme explicitly tracks the global installed base of ~800 million m² of solar thermal collectors and reports that solar thermal supplies 12% (456 TWh) of global residential hot water energy consumption.

Name

SHC TCP - IEA Technology Cooperation Programme on Solar Heating and Cooling

Legal name

International Energy Agency Solar Heating and Cooling Programme

Website

https://iea-shc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IEA SHC is the IEA's intergovernmental research network on solar heating and cooling, established in 1977, coordinating collaborative Tasks across 20 member countries plus the EU to produce market data, standards, training, and publications for governments, researchers, and the solar thermal industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Energy Research Collaboration

NAICS

Public Administration (92)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

CSP Plant Development & EPC (Parabolic Trough, Tower, Linear Fresnel, Dish) (EUACAGAE)

Keywords

• Solar thermal research
• Collaborative research tasks
• Solar heating technologies
• Solar cooling technologies
• Renewable energy policy

Headquarters

HQ city

International

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Membership Contributions: IEA SHC is funded through contributions from member countries and the European Union. Member countries participate in research tasks and contribute financially to the programme operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IEA SHC is an international Technology Collaboration Programme that coordinates collaborative research tasks on solar heating, cooling, thermal energy storage, PVT systems, solar district heating, and building-integrated solar technologies. It produces publications including the annual Solar Heat Worldwide market report, technology position papers, and task reports; runs the Solar Academy training platform; and organises conferences such as SHC and EuroSun. All outputs are distributed through a member network of 20 countries plus the European Commission and supporting sponsor organisations.

Product overview

IEA SHC operates as a research network organized around collaborative international Tasks focused on solar thermal technology areas including PVT systems, thermal energy storage, solar cooling, solar process heat, building integration, and daylighting. The programme publishes the annual Solar Heat Worldwide report, maintains the Solar Academy for education and training, organizes the EuroSun conference series, and offers the SHC Solar Award. The portfolio spans active research tasks (currently Tasks 69-75), comprehensive publications including technology position papers and task-specific reports, educational webinars and onsite training programs, and industry conferences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solar Heat Worldwide Report Annual global market and technology overview report for solar thermal energy, providing comprehensive statistics on solar thermal capacity installed worldwide; published for governments, industry, and researchers.
• Technology Position Papers Strategic technology position papers covering topics such as Solar Energy Buildings, Building Integrated Solar Envelope Systems for HVAC and Lighting, and other solar thermal technology areas; targeted at policymakers, industry, and researchers.
• SHC Solar Academy Educational platform offering webinars, videos, onsite training programmes, and national days on solar heating and cooling technologies including Solar Heat Networks, Solar Cooling, Solar District Heating Systems, and Solar Heat for Industrial Applications.
• EuroSun Conference Series International scientific conference series on solar heating, cooling, and sustainable energy, held periodically to bring together researchers, industry, and policymakers.
• SHC Reports and Publications Comprehensive collection of research reports, fact sheets, newsletters, and task publications covering all aspects of solar thermal technology; available for free download from the programme website.
• SHC Solar Award Annual award programme recognising outstanding solar building concepts and solar thermal installations worldwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• Global solar thermal installed base of ~800 million m² tracked through Solar Heat Worldwide statistics
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• International Energy Agency (IEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1977IEA SHC is a Technology Collaboration Programme under the International Energy Agency, established in 1977. The IEA provides institutional framework, oversight, and international legitimacy for the programme's collaborative research activities on solar heating and cooling.
• Australia (Member Country)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of 20 member countries participating in IEA SHC, contributing national expertise and research to collaborative tasks on solar thermal technologies.
• Austria (Member Country)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustria participates through institutions like AEE INTEC, contributing significantly to research tasks including large-scale solar heating and thermal energy storage.
• China (Member Country)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChina Academy of Building Research represents China in IEA SHC, hosting the 76th ExCo Meeting in 2014 and contributing to multiple research tasks.
• Germany (Member Country)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGermany participates through Fraunhofer ISE and other institutions, hosting multiple ExCo meetings and task definition workshops in Freiburg.
• European Commission (Member)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe European Commission participates as a member of IEA SHC, bringing EU policy perspective and supporting solar thermal research across member states.
• International Solar Energy Society (ISES)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerISES is a sponsor of IEA SHC and co-organises the Solar Academy webinars. The two organisations collaborate on joint conferences including EuroSun 2026 and SolarPACES 2026.
• Solar Heat Europe (SHE)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolar Heat Europe became the first international industry association to join IEA SHC in October 2024, providing industry perspective and market expertise.
• SolarPACESflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEA SHC collaborates with SolarPACES (another IEA TCP) on joint conferences including EuroSun 2026 and SolarPaces 2026 being hosted together in Freiburg, Germany.
• Global Solar Certification NetworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Global Solar Certification Network is a SHC Partner providing international certification services for solar thermal products to ensure quality standards.
• SOLTRAINcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOLTRAIN (Solar Training Network) collaborates with IEA SHC on training programmes for solar thermal technologies, particularly in Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
• IEA Heat Pumping Technologies TCP (HPT TCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with IEA SHC on joint activities such as Task 44/ Annex 38 on Solar and Heat Pump Systems, combining expertise in heat pumps and solar thermal.
• IEA Energy Storage TCPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates with IEA SHC on thermal energy storage research, with overlapping activities on large-scale thermal energy storage for district heating (Task 39 in IEA ES, Task 67 in IEA SHC).
• IEA District Heating & Cooling TCPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on solar district heating integration, with joint work on district heating and cooling networks and solar thermal systems.
• EBC Annex 90coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEA SHC Task 70 on Low Carbon, High Comfort Integrated Lighting operates jointly with EBC (Energy in Buildings and Communities) Annex 90 on integrated lighting solutions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency): Intergovernmental organisation coordinating global renewable-energy policy, data, and analysis. Comparable as an international renewable-energy knowledge hub, but with a much broader mandate spanning all renewables versus IEA SHC's solar-thermal specialisation.
• IEA Bioenergy TCP: Larger, more established IEA TCP focused on bioenergy research across multiple work streams. Comparable in TCP governance and intergovernmental member model but covers a different renewable-energy domain.
• International Solar Energy Society (ISES): Long-standing international solar-energy organization and a sponsor of IEA SHC that co-organises Solar Academy webinars and EuroSun/SolarPACES conferences. Comparable as a global solar-knowledge coordinator but operates as a membership NGO rather than an intergovernmental TCP.

Emerging players

• Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE): Germany's flagship solar-energy research institute and an IEA SHC member-country participant (hosted multiple ExCo meetings). Comparable as a leading solar thermal R&D execution partner, though it is a national research institute rather than a coordinating programme.

Direct peers

• IEA Heat Pumping Technologies TCP (HPT TCP): Sister IEA TCP covering heat pumps; same institutional structure, member-country model, and TCP task framework. Listed as a partner of IEA SHC (joint Task 44 / Annex 38) and the most directly competing technology platform for renewable heating.
• IEA District Heating and Cooling TCP (DHC TCP): Sister IEA TCP on district heating and cooling, with collaboration on solar district heating integration. Identical TCP governance and member-country model, making it a structural peer across overlapping research themes.
• IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS): Another IEA Technology Collaboration Programme focused on solar PV; identical TCP governance, member-country funding model, and research-task structure. Directly comparable as the PV counterpart to IEA SHC within the IEA TCP family.
• IEA SolarPACES: Sister IEA Technology Collaboration Programme focused on concentrating solar power and solar chemistry; same TCP governance model, IEA parent, and intergovernmental member structure. Directly comparable to IEA SHC in mandate, scale, and operating model, with documented joint-conference collaboration (EuroSun 2026 / SolarPACES 2026 in Freiburg).
• IEA Energy Storage TCP: Sister IEA TCP focused on energy storage, with overlapping mandates in thermal storage. Listed as an active partner (Task 39 in IEA ES / Task 67 in IEA SHC), comparable in TCP governance, funding model, and task structure.

Others

• Solar Heat Europe: European solar thermal industry association and the first international industry association to join IEA SHC (October 2024). Comparable as a solar-thermal ecosystem stakeholder with overlapping membership in member countries and joint advocacy/research interests.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iea-shc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SHC TCP - IEA Technology Cooperation Programme on Solar Heating and Cooling