Thermal Energy Alliance — On December 29, 2016, a conference was held at the Beijing Yuanwanglou Hotel concerning the transition of terms of the National Solar Energy Standardization Technical Committee (NSSTC) (SAC/TC402). Xiao Han, the director of industrial department I of the Standardization Administration of China (SAC), attended the conference and presented the “Official Reply from the Office of Standardization Administration of China to the Transition and Constitution of the National Solar-Energy Standardization Technical Committee.”
According to the “Official Reply,” the second term of the NSSTC consists of 51 members. These members include director Li Baoshan, the secretary-general of the China Renewable Energy Society (CRES), and five vice directors, two of whom are council members of the China National Solar Thermal Energy Alliance (CNSTEA): Wang Zhifeng, a researcher from the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the standing vice president unit, and Jiao Qingtai, the vice president of SOLAREAST Corporation, a council unit. Another 12 staff members from CNSTEA complete the positions of committee members. They are: He Tao, a professor-level senior engineer of the China Academy of Building Research; Li Xuguang, vice president of Beijing Tsinghua Solar-Energy Development Co., Ltd. (Both He and Li will also serve the position of deputy secretary-general.); Liu Haibo, director of Hi-min Group; Liu Jun, an engineer with Beijing Sunda Solar Energy Technology Co., Ltd.; Zhou Xiaowen, senior engineer of the Beijing Tsinghua Solar Energy Development Co., Ltd; Huang Xiang, a professor-level senior engineer with China Huadian Engineering Co., Ltd; Chen Xuexian, a researcher with the Solar Energy Research Institute at Yunnan Normal University; Bai Fengwu, a researcher from CAS’s Institute of Electrical Engineering; Zhang Xinyu, a senior engineer with the China Academy of Building Research; Ma Guangbai, chief engineer of Beijing Linuo Ritter New Energy Co., Ltd.; Dai Yanjun, vice professor of the Center of Solar Power Generation and Refrigeration Engineering Research at Shanghai Jiao Tong University; and Hao Lei, a senior engineer with the General Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals. Du Fengli, deputy secretary-general of CNSTEA, is appointed as the observer of the second term of the National Solar Energy Standardization Technical Committee.
TC402 is reportedly responsible for the centralization of 40 national standards regarding the utilization of solar energy, of which 39 are recommended standards and one is compulsory. The corresponding international standardization organization is the ISO/TC180 Solar Energy Technical Committee. So far, it has issued 18 international standards regarding the utilization of solar energy and another three are in the process of being formulated. However, these national and international standards mainly focus on the heat utilization of low-temperature solar energy. The standardization of middle and high temperature utilization is still in its initial stages. From now on, in the low-temperature field, TC402 will sort out the problems in current standards such as repetition, contradiction, and inapplicability through standards reviewing, before further completing the current standard system. In the middle-temperature field, TC402 will enhance relevant standards research and formulation in fields such as industrial heat utilization, concentrated heating supply, refrigeration, and energy storage. In the high-temperature field, according to practical requirements of solar thermal power generation components, systems, control, and testing, TC402 will research and establish standards regarding the critical techniques of the grid-connected front end.
This conference also discussed six national standards for project approval, including: “Technical Requirements of Middle-Temperature Solar Thermal Collectors,” “Test Methods of the Performance of Middle-Temperature Solar Thermal Collectors,” “Design Specifications of Middle-Temperature Solar Industrial Thermal Energy Systems” proposed by Shandong Linuo Paradigma New Energy Co., Ltd., “Design Specifications of Solar Thermally Driven Air-conditioning Systems” proposed by the Shandong Institute for Product Quality Inspection, “Test Methods of the Performance of Solar Thermal Collector” proposed by the China Academy of Building Research, and “Self-cleaning Glass for Solar Energy” proposed by Lion Trunk Solar.
“Standards determine quality, and only high standards will produce high quality”, as well as “Make standards the rigid restrictions of quality” are the goals of the deepening reform of standards in China. We need to make great effort in researching and promoting the work regarding the improvement of the effectiveness, advancement, and applicability of standards and tests, the coordination of relevant main market players to formulate standards that can satisfy market and innovation requirements and increase effective supply of standards, increasing the international level of standards, and the internationalization of our products, techniques, equipment, and services in “going global,” which is driven by the Chinese standards’ “going global.” (Edited by: Du Fengli)
