Policy

December 29, 2020
Five pathways for decarbonising heating and cooling

“If we intend to take the Paris Agreement seriously, we will have to accelerate the deployment of renewable technologies in heating and cooling.” This statement by REN21 Executive Director Rana Adib during a webinar in late November explains why the organisation has just published another...
December 3, 2020
IRENA identifies solar heat potential in central and south eastern Europe

The 18 countries participating in the Central and South Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity Initiative (CESEC) could use renewables to meet 34 % of their energy demand by 2030, with solar thermal installed in buildings being the cheapest replacement option for fossil fuel equipment. These...
November 27, 2020
“Balance your solar mandate between what the market is ready for and what you want to achieve”

Barcelona pioneered renewables obligations for solar energy in Europe. In August 2000, the city in the Spanish Catalonia region adopted solar building regulations that required a predefined share of solar-heated water for newly constructed buildings and those to be fully renovated or...
August 22, 2020
50 new solar hot water systems at Turkish prisons in three years

Turkey’s regulations on installing solar energy equipment in buildings with over 1,000 m2 of floor area has resulted in a growing number of centralised solar hot water systems in prisons over the last years. The above photo shows one of those installations, a 3,363 m² solar hot...
August 7, 2020
The best way to renovate Europe’s building stock

One area that requires immediate action, according to the European Commission’s Green Deal, is the renovation of the continent’s building stock. After all, the EU’s aim is to become climate neutral by 2050. Consequently, the commission has started public consultation on a new Renovation...
July 24, 2020
Region with high solar ambitions joins IEA SHC

One of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme’s new sponsors is SACREEE, the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, set up by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), an intergovernmental organisation. SADC represents a dynamically developing solar thermal region...
June 26, 2020
“Total fossil lockdown for a climate revolution”

The new Renewables 2020 Global Status Report is calling for a “total fossil lockdown” to bring about a “climate revolution”. It also includes a warning: “Progress in the power sector is only a small part of the picture and it is eaten up as the world´s energy hunger continues to increase,”...
May 30, 2020
Austrian solar initiative to benefit from Covid-19 recovery plan

Solar thermal manufacturers and resellers based in Austria are coping well with the economic crisis brought on by the global Covid-19 pandemic. A survey Austria Solar conducted among its members found that more than half of the 16 businesses that responded had gained new orders under these...
May 15, 2020
Map shows solar thermal potential of buildings in Bern

Municipalities play a major role in the transition to a clean energy economy. Bern, Switzerland‘s capital, is a good example of this. Since a narrow majority of 50.1 % of the voting population rejected an amendment to the Canton of Bern’s energy act in February 2019, the municipal council...
May 5, 2020
Green hydrogen and the associations’ point of view

Green hydrogen is being heavily discussed in the centres of power in Europe – Brussels and Berlin: The European Commission is working on a Clean Hydrogen Alliance while the German government is debating its national hydrogen strategy. Recent statements by multiple trade associations show...
March 17, 2020
Munich strengthens its climate targets

As part of the most recent Fridays for Future protests in late November 2019, a huge crowd of young people gathered in the centre of Munich in southeast Germany, calling for more climate action. Barely three weeks later, the city council responded to their demands by declaring a state of...
March 6, 2020
Large gap between targets and installed solar heat capacity in Europe

According to a Eurostat press release published on 23 January, renewable energy sources made up 18 % of total energy generation throughout the European Union at the end of 2018, which means the EU’s target of 20 % by the end of 2020 seems well within reach. And yet, the above chart shows...