Outdoor swimming pools are big energy consumers. Pool owners and/or operators in the EU – mostly municipalities – spend millions of Euros annually to heat their pools, mostly by using fossil fuels. However, one of the most cost effective ways of heating swimming pools is by using solar energy.

Solar heating of outdoor swimming pools has three significant advantages against other uses of solar thermal energy:

• The required temperature ranges from 18 to 25°C, which is relatively low, and allows the use of solar absorbers.
• The period of the highest insulation corresponds to the energy demand periods.
• The pool water flows directly through the absorbers, therefore the usual storage tanks are not needed as the pool fulfils this task.

The main objective of the project SOLPOOL is to develop and implement campaigns for the increased use of solar thermal systems for the heating of outdoor swimming pools.

The first campaign will target the owners and operators of these pools, while the second will focus on installers of heating and solar systems. The campaigns will be monitored and evaluated, and a set of guidelines will be subsequently prepared for the later implementation of those campaigns in other European Member/candidate States. All activities will be performed by the Project Partners, which are all independent in terms of economic interests in the use of solar energy for the heating of outdoor swimming pools. This will ensure an impartial preparation and implementation of the campaigns.

Operators and private owners of outdoor pools will be addressed to initiate projects for the installation of solar thermal heating systems for outdoor swimming pools. These are mainly public authorities, hotels or private persons, who have to be informed about the potential economic and environmental impact of this technology.

Installers of heating and solar thermal systems will be addressed in a second SOLPOOL promotion campaign. Installers play a major role in the field of solar thermal energy, but not all of them are experienced in solar technologies. Therefore, this target group needs to be informed about the technological background and concepts as well as the feasibility and efficiency of those systems. Installers will be compiled in a database available in the project website in order to facilitate the contact among interested owners and operators and installers.

For further information about the project Solpool, please see also the following press release:

• Solar energy keeps temperature in outdoor pools on a comfortable level