Introduction

Over the last decades, the development and application of solar thermal technologies has made great progress in China, providing people in urban centers and rural areas with cost-effective energy services in an environmentally benign manner. However the solar thermal industry still faces two major challenges to penetrate China's energy market: inconsistent quality of products and separation from residential housing industry. As a result, many cities and communities do not like the appearance of current solar technology and thus resist large dissemination efforts. To address this situation, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) with financial support from United Nations Foundation (UNF) and United Nations Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP), has developed a project aimed at the increasing use of solar energy for heating water and thereby mitigating the environment pollution associated with combustion of coal, the current fuel of choice for most of China. The Chinese Government counterpart for project implementation includes the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Ministry of Construction (MOC).

The project focuses on the development of high-quality and attractive-looking model designs for integrating solar water heaters (SWH) into buildings. Based on the new designs, a number of demonstration buildings will be constructed in at least three pilot cities and a series of construction standards and codes will be prepared by the project team and approved by the national authorities. It is expected, through the implementation of project activities, technical capacity of both solar thermal and construction industries will be considerably strengthened, public awareness about the economic and environment benefits of integrating solar heating technology into residential housing be enhanced, and an industry-led program of utilizing renewable energy in construction be launched nationwide.