European Copper Institute (ECI) contributes to political debate, directly and through stakeholder platforms, sharing its expertise of copper-based products and technical building services and their contribution to the Commission goal of a carbon-neutral building stock. ECI has a considerable knowledge base and multidisciplinary expertise in technology, chemical policy and life cycle relating to copper and its applications. It also has established outreach channels aimed at supporting its advocacy towards the EU institutions.
Solarthermalworld.org was initiated by ECI in 2008 with the aim of providing stakeholders from research, public and private sector all around the globe with first-class information about solar heating and cooling to stimulate market growth. The ECI has supported the hosting of the website as well as the content gathering continuously since 2008.
Please see below our most recent articles:
Heat purchase agreements on the rise in Spain
In Spain, the global spike in fossil fuel prices has made large solar systems as competitive as ever. Together with the financial support granted by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), these systems are now capable to reach short payback periods of just a few years. Consequently, a growing number …
Survey of German solar collector industry: “daily struggle to procure materials”
Throughout the world, logistics are currently disrupted and supply chains have broken down. Raw materials for collector and storage tank production in Germany are currently only available with delays. A survey of the German solar collector industry has shown, however, that the companies are affected very differently. Some report massive …
Strongly downsized, but crisis-ridden solar collector industry in Germany
In Germany, sales of solar collectors declined sharply between 2009 and 2019. A market shakeout was the result. The number of manufacturers of stationary collectors, i.e. flat-plate, vacuum tube and air collectors, has almost halved. Of the 38 German companies that research by Solrico for the World Map of the …
Large heat pumps: research confirms profitability
Whenever large heat consumers want to move away from oil and gas, combining a collector field and brine heat pumps is an idea well worth considering. The crucial question then is how many large heat pumps with a capacity above 50 kW have made it to market already and how …
Can the new Greek Development Law increase demand for solar process heat?
In Greece, the market for solar process heat seems to be still in its infancy. The Greek solar thermal industry, as well as the number of domestic collector factories, may be growing at an impressive rate. But less than 30 % of the collectors produced in Greece later remain in …
Technical support for EU energy communities
Thermal Energy communities are considered a crucial factor in paving the way for an environmentally sustainable and carbon-neutral energy democracy by 2050. To promote these sorts of prosumer collaboration, the European Commission has launched two initiatives called the Energy Communities Repository (ECR), set up as early as April, and the …
EUR 65 million provided for solar district heating in Kosovo
Air quality problems and energy security issues in a lot of Western Balkan regions have raised interest in solar district heating. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has therefore extended its solar district heating activities within the ReDEWeB project to even more cities in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and …
Solar steam to cool production halls in southern Turkey
After almost a year of operation the parabolic trough collector field at Mayr-Melnhof Graphia Izmir, Turkey, was inaugurated on 22 June 2022. The German project developer Soliterm installed the 3 MW collector field on the roof of a new production building in 2021. It allows temperature and humidity control in …
Energising Europe with solar heat – a Solar Thermal Roadmap
By 2030, solar heat is expected to reach 140 GW of installed capacity in Europe – tripling the 36 GW in operation at the end of 2021. At the end of this decade the sector will have replaced 12.1 billion m3 of imported Russian gas and enabled more than 250,000 …
Two concentrating solar industrial heat plants in operation in Barcelona
With the commissioning of two solar steam and cooling demonstration plants for industrial applications in May, the EU project Hycool has achieved major milestones. The photo shows the 800 m2 linear Fresnel collector field next to a chemical facility of the company Givaudan, which creates flavours and fragrances (see photo) …
“The solar thermal sector is able to scale up production rapidly”
“We want multi-megawatt solar heat plants to become a no-brainer for clients in industry and the energy sector”, states Guglielmo Cioni, Vice President of Business Development at TVP Solar. The Swiss company manufactures special high-vacuum flat panels that offer good yields, even on colder days of the year. Cioni wants …
New Glasspoint announces first 1.5 GW parabolic trough field
Glasspoint is back. Two years after its liquidation the company has been restarted by founder and long-term former CEO Rod MacGregor. Together with the institutional investor Blackrock, MacGregor has restarted the team in New York and London with almost 50 employees and is able to use all patents and rights …
