Europe

As in previous years, ESTIF, the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation, has issued this publication with detailed data and numbers about the solar thermal market in the EU 27 and Switzerland in 2010.

In 2010, the European solar thermal market totalled 2.586 MWth (3.694,940 m²) of newly installed capacity, decreasing by an estimated 13% in comparison with 2009 numbers.

Click here to see the 2010 edition of this publication, referring to 2009 market data.

Whereas the global market for chillers with small cooling capacities has a volume of around 70 million units annually, the European industry of small-capacity sorption cooling is still in its infancy and is facing many challenges. A newly published study, “Scenario Planning for the European Small Capacity Sorption Cooling Industry”, has identified four different ways the industry could take in a sector whose future development is still hard to predict and depends on several unknowns. The study also helps with strategic recommendations on how the European industry can prepare itself for the possible future in each of these scenarios. The photo shows a selection of small-capacity solar chillers.
Source: Presentation Green Chiller at ESTEC 2011

This week, the Swiss Bank Sarasin published the 12^th edition of their solar industry report, covering all three solar technologies: solar heating and cooling (ST), photovoltaics (PV), and concentrating solar power (CSP). The chapter on solar thermal identifies great differences in the market development of national markets and regions. While the Chinese market continues to shine, many European countries are suffering from decreasing or stagnating markets. Nevertheless, Sarasin predicts a great future, with a global average growth of 12% per year until 2020.

The next edition of the European Solar Days – a campaign of national events aimed at promoting the use of solar energy – will be held from 1 to 13 May 2012. The initiative now includes more than 20 participants from 16 countries, who gathered on 7 and 8 November in Prague for the second European Solar Days Annual Conference. The meeting consisted of the internal project meeting with the partners and the Annual Conference, also attended by two guest countries. A total of 23 conference participants were responsible for evaluating the 2011 event and planning the 2012 campaign.
Photo: ESTIF

The crisis in the European key countries was present during the entire 5th European Solar Thermal Energy Conference (ESTEC) in Marseilles on 20 and 21 October 2011. Around 300 speakers and participants tried to deliver new ideas and concepts to get the industry back on track. At the second conference day, "plug and flow", "solar active houses", "fixed prices for end consumers" and "solar incentive tariffs" were among the key issues of a round-table discussion, which was moderated by Uwe Trenkner, a consultant based in Brussels (third from left).
Photo: ESTIF/ Joël Assuied

The next European Solar Days will be celebrated from 1 to 13 May 2012 in several European countries. The campaign raises public awareness and involves several hundred thousand citizens at local level. Pioneer countries such as Austria, Germany, Switzerland, as well as others that successfully embraced this initiative like France, Italy and Spain, are only too keen to share their experience and help spread the word.

This report, compiled by the Energy Research Centre from the Netherlands with the help of the European Environment Agency, has been published in February 2011 and illustrates the targeted levels of renewable energy production that the EU member-states want to obtain by 2020.

This is a presentation from the CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) about solar thermal technologies and applications.

The presentation reviews the different market applications (hot water and heating, space heating and cooling, desalination, pool heating, industrial processes and electricity production). It also gives data on the European energy market and the market share of the different solar technologies. The document indicates the market drivers for solar thermal and the forecasts for the coming years.

This barometer, published by the French organisation EuObserv’ER, provides an overview and analysis of the evolution of the sector in Europe in 2009.

In 2009, the installed area in the EU was of about 4166 056 m2 which resulted in a capacity of 22786,1MWth. The solar thermal sector employed 50.000 people in 2009.

The document includes data about the installed surface area per type of collectors and power capacity for each EU country. It includes data showing the evolution since 1995 as well.

Demand for subsidised solar water heater is very different in Europe and the USA. A comparison between California and the Czech Republic shows that the growth potential is much higher in European countries. The number of applications submitted to the national subsidy programme has been 100 times as much in the Eastern European country as in the US state. The photo shows a commercial solar water heater on a multi-family apartment community in Huntington Beach, California, installed by California Solar Thermal, Inc. The 24-panel-installation was subsidised by both California Solar Initiative (CSI) - Thermal Program as well as the Federal Treasury Grant (30%) and reached a payback time of two years.
Photo: California Solar Thermal