The objective of the project was to contribute to effective and environmentally friendly energy production, distribution and application by promoting the flow of knowledge among professionals and students within the selected European region and by analyzing the possibilities for applying large-scale solar heating and cooling to new and existing buildings, e.g., in combination with bio energy and storage technologies.

The objective was to deploy best practices, increase the use of solar energy in the community and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to the heating and cooling of buildings and industries, all in accordance with EU policies.

There were two parts to the project: development and implementation of an educational program and coordination of a European network on the topic. Those goals were achieved by:

• Preparing educational materials for “best practice” design and financing, based on knowledge from most existing large-scale solar heating plants in Europe, especially Scandinavia, Germany and Spain. The latest innovative solutions and research were included in the activities.
• Improving the practical training facility at the Marstal plant, winner of several European awards. In 2003, the plant consisted of a field with 20,000 m2 of different makes and models of solar collectors, diurnal heat storage, two different seasonal storage types and an advanced control system, allowing for targeted training activities.
• Implementing a yearly EU-wide education course for professionals in the field of large-scale solar heating: 2003 (Chalmers, EnerMa, Kungälv), 2004 (DTU, Marstal), 2005 (AIGUASOL, Barcelona).
• Reactivating the former European Network for professionals in the field and improving and extending the website with other e-services, such as discussion forums, cooperation tools, etc.
• Developing a sample database and gathering all relevant experiences, key values and much more for a broad-ranging base of information.