The SHC Solar Award of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) celebrates the success of those working to increase the market impact of solar heating and cooling technologies.
SHC Solar Award 2026
This year’s recipient will demonstrate innovations in Solar Heating and Cooling that stimulate or create a market by improving either the technical or non-technical features. Examples of this are:
- Digitalization solution for solar thermal applications
- Modular solutions for easy integration of solar thermal systems
- Products, systems and applications
- Business models
This year’s recipient will have demonstrated substantial achievement and measurable impact from a project or activity executed in the last 5 years (2024-2020) to deploy solar heating and cooling technology to reduce the costs and environmental impact of providing heating or cooling.
Nominating an individual or organization is easy with our online form! Nominations Due by April 30th 2026!
Submit your nomination here
SELECTION PROCESS & AWARD CEREMONY
Nominations may be for an individual or organization responsible for implementing a project or activity that fostered an innovation in Solar Heating that improved either technical or non-technical features of solar technologies stimulating or creating a market.
The nomination may be from an individual business, business consortium, regional, provincial or national entity, or an associated entity (e.g., developer, designer, builder).
The winner will be selected by an international panel of judges from the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme. All the nominees will be notified in June 2026. The top five nominations will be recognized on the IEA SHC website.
Criteria:
- Have a measurable impact on the market development
- Innovation developed within the last 5 years
- Sustainability - the Innovation must demonstrate sustainability, e.g. cannot be single use
- *Minimum TRL 7 - Pre-commercial demonstration (solution working in expected conditions)
- Additional consideration will be given to startup companies less than 10 years old.
The 2026 Award will be presented during the EuroSun 2026 conference in Freiburg, Germany, September 14-18 2026.