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:
EU Solar Energy Strategy should balance out heat and power
The European Commission plans to launch its EU Solar Energy Strategy in June 2022. According to the official announcement this strategy will “take the form of a Commission communication“, aiming to ensure that solar energy both for power generation and heat production “achieves its full potential in helping to meet …
Emission-free heat supply for new building area in Austria
For an emission-free energy supply for new and existing buildings on industrial wasteland in Reutte, Tyrol, Austria, the project developers are using PVT collectors. The Zero Emission Building Design concept of the Austrian company Simona Alexe – greenixcloud convinced the investors. They want to build a new commercial, industrial and …
The big names in Spain’s picking up industrial solar heat market
The latest call for solar heat projects in service and industry in Spain created quite intensive sales activities for technology providers. The Thermal Energy Production scheme awarded funding to 51 solar thermal systems totalling 61 MW. A handful of Spanish companies will provide the technology and installation services for most …
EU Minimum Energy Performance Standards: Powerful tool or threat?
The draft of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) from mid-December 2021 includes a number of powerful amendments (see pdfs at the end of the article). Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for existing buildings and a definition of Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB) are new key elements. Reporting has …
Economic tailwind for large flat plate collector producers globally
Consolidation among the global solar thermal industry continued in 2021. The 20 largest flat plate collector manufacturers listed in the ranking managed to increase production by, on average, 15 % last year. This is significantly higher than in the previous year, with 9 %. The reasons for the growth are …
High fossil fuel prices and generous support drive up demand in France
Two weeks before the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, France’s President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech in which he detailed his strategy for developing the nation’s energy sector. He left no doubt that nuclear energy would continue to play a central role, but at the same time attributed growing …
Merging decades of solar expertise
The merger of the two Swiss companies Energie Solaire and Soltop Schuppisser in October 2021 has created a multifaceted enterprise in the field of green building technology. The new company Soltop Energie chaired by Wolfgang Thiele has taken over all the employees, who have several decades of experiences in the …
Push for the German solar thermal market is badly needed
The German boiler manufacturers are satisfied with their sales for 2021. Plumbers installed almost one million units. This is 10 % more than in the previous year, according to statistics from the heating industry association BDH. When looking at the market figures broken down by technology, biomass boilers were the …
Superbonus has pushed solar heat in Italy
The combination of the Conto Termico incentive scheme, supporting renewable heat installations, and the 110 % Superbonus for energy efficiency in buildings allowed Italy to hit a record year for solar thermal in 2021. According to the industry association ANIMA, 225,000 m2 of collector area (158 MW) were installed in …
Celsius’s cities are going carbon neutral with waste heat and PV rather than with solar thermal
Waste heat and photovoltaics seem to be the preferred technologies for cities aiming to decarbonize their energy supply, rather than solar heat. This became clear during the webinar Cities Going Carbon Neutral at the end of February. During the presentations by energy experts from the Swedish city of Lund, Sonderborg …
Ariston Group acquires Chromagen
At the beginning of the year the Italian Ariston Group completed its acquisition of the Israeli solar thermal system pioneer manufacturer Chromagen Hot Water Solutions. According to a press release published on 5 January 2022, the boiler manufacturer acquired 100 % of the shares and voting rights of the Israeli …
Challenging short completion deadline
Fifty-one solar heat projects totalling 61 MW were awarded funding in Spain in the first round of the subsidy scheme Thermal Energy Production. The majority of these projects use concentrating solar technologies. This is a great step forward in a country where currently concentrating solar heat plants with a total …
