SOLAIR partners started or plan to start co-operations with existing projects, programmes and partners at different levels as follows:

Intensive contacts have been established with the IEE funded projects Solar Combi+ and SOLCO.

Solar Combi+ focuses on accelerating the market entry of solar thermal systems for the application of small systems for combined heating and cooling. It will describe available solar cooling technology as well, which will also support the mapping of the technology on the market in SOLAIR. Moreover the project is very close to the market with the presence of numerous industrial partners of the solar cooling field. For training material development this has permitted to get and valorise very accurate information on the commercial offer for small scale combined solar heating & cooling applications. Thus, synergies have been possible and will be continued during the whole duration of the projects, considering also co-operation for dissemination activities. The consortium partners TECSOL, AEE INTEC, CRES and FhG-ISE are involved in this project as well.

The SOLCO project focuses on the removal of non-technological barriers for cooling technologies and chilling systems as well as on their promotion and implementation in Southern European insular areas. Contacts and exchanges during the development of training materials have been realised and will continue including possible common dissemination activities.

A regular information exchange of SOLAIR results is taking place with the Task 38 “Solar Air­Conditioning and Refrigeration” of the Solar Heating and Cooling Programme of the International Energy Agency. As information exchange platform, the regular expert meetings, held twice per

year in April and October until 2009, will be used, since some SOLAIR partners (FhG-ISE, AEE INTEC, INETI, TECSOL, POLIMI and Ambiente Italia) are involved in Task 38 as well.

2. Conclusion

The different participating partner organisations within SOLAIR are positive about the development potential of SAC technologies. Though local conditions and requirements differ, similar problems as well as positive considerations have been experienced.