IEA Study "Solar Heat Worldwide": Global Market Growth of 22 % in 2006
Submitted by Baerbel Epp on June 18, 20082006 was an extremely satisfying year for the global solar thermal industry. According to the new study “Solar Heat Worldwide. Markets and contribution to the Energy Supply 2006” on behalf of IEA Solar Heating & Cooling Programme the new installations grew 22 % in 2006. The authors from the Austrian research institute AEE Intec surveyed 48 countries and added up the newly installed collector area to 18.3 GWth (26.1 million m2).
The following table shows the twenty biggest solar thermal markets worldwide and their market growth in 2006. The United States and the United Kingdom reached the highest market growth in 2006.
| New installed capacity in 2006 [MWth] | Market growth in 2006 | |
| United Kingdom | 38 | 93% |
| United States | 88 | 92% |
| France including overseas | 207 | 86% |
| Spain | 123 | 64% |
| Germany | 1050 | 58% |
| Mexico | 47 | 58% |
| Poland | 29 | 50% |
| Italy | 128 | 46% |
| Turkey | 490 | 46% |
| Denmark | 26 | 45% |
| Switzerland | 37 | 25% |
| Austria | 205 | 25% |
| India | 350 | 25% |
| China | 12600 | 20% |
| Cyprus | 42 | 20% |
| Greece | 174 | 13% |
| Israel | 155 | 11% |
| Brazil | 304 | 10% |
| Taiwan | 86 | 9% |
| Australia | 120 | 5% |
| Japan | 197 | -8% |
Further information: “Solar Heat Worldwide. Market and Contribution to the Energy Supply 2006”, a study from the IEA Solar Heating & Cooling Programme. May 2008: http://www.aee-intec.at/index.php?seitenId=11
