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:
IKEA to invest EUR 4 billion in clean energy
By 2030, furniture retail giant Inter IKEA Group intends to minimise its carbon footprint and even get climate-positive while continuing to grow its business. The goals set by IKEA’s sustainability strategy People & Planet Positive published in August 2020 include the aim to generate more renewable energy than will be …
In Denmark, large heat pumps take DH market by storm
United in their drive to get rid of fossil fuel-fired heating, Denmark’s district energy providers spent years putting up a network of solar thermal systems, large ones in particular. But lately, priorities seem to have changed, with the focus now being put on heat pumps instead. Sales of pumps have …
Serbia’s first big online conference on solar energy draws 2,000 attendees
Serbia would very soon take a significant step forward by approving a new Renewable Energy Act, Zorana Mihajlović, the country’s deputy PM and mining and energy minister, said at the First Big Conference on Solar Energy in Serbia on 14 April 2021 in Belgrade. The now-passed law includes the announcement …
Hydrogen-ready – the new buzzword in the heating industry
At the ISH digital, held from 22 to 26 March, Germany’s major heating companies offered attendees plenty of new event formats, including moderated board panels, professional film inserts, and live broadcasts of their exhibits. But as those businesses presented their new products, it became obvious that the focus of this …
“7 MW solar heat plants will be a commodity in Europe in 5 to 10 years”
Viessmann, a major German provider of climate solutions for living spaces, strengthened its project development team last year, hiring Christian Stadler and four of his ex-colleagues in June 2020, after their former employer, Danish-based Arcon-Sunmark, stopped operation. As part of Viessmann, Stadler and his team are now responding to district …
SDH plant performs well in Swiss winter conditions
A new solar district heating plant in Geneva, Switzerland, is basking in the limelight of Swiss politics, with environmental minister Simonetta Sommaruga personally attending the start-up of the system at the end of February. The 816 m2 solar field consists of special high-vacuum flat panels supplying heat to Geneva’s district …
Rush on industrial solar heat in Germany
In Germany, demand for high-temperature solar process heat is growing rapidly. In the past months, Soliterm, a western German provider of turnkey solar process heat (SHIP) solutions, has conducted an ever-greater number of prefeasibility studies in several sectors, especially in the food industry. Interest grew as the government introduced a …
“RHC becomes far cheaper than fossil energy in every way”
Which research and innovation priorities need to be set for buildings, industry, cities and districts to boost the renewable heating and cooling market? The new Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Climate-Neutral Heating and Cooling (SRIA) aims to answer this question by outlining a path to a fossil fuel-free heating …
“Reducing the level of harmful air pollutants is vital”
Be it the Western Balkans, Mongolia or Kazakhstan, Greg Gebrail is there to offer technical and policy support for solar district heating. As Principal District Energy Specialist at the London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), he is a member of the Sustainable Infrastructure Group, which delivers about 100 …
SRIAs pave the way for a clean energy future
According to the European Technology and Innovation Platform on Renewable Heating & Cooling’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, nearly half the energy consumed across Europe is used to heat residential, commercial and industrial buildings. On 15 October 2020, the then-chairman of RHC-ETIP, Javier Urchueguía, presented the SRIA at the virtual …
25-year heat supply contract for 4 MW SDH plant
Supported by a community financing model, southern Austrian solar heat specialists Unser Kraftwerk and Greenonetec have joined forces to build a 4 MW solar district heating plant in nearby Friesach by summer. While Greenonetec is producing the 5,750 m2 of large flat plate collectors required for the system, Unser Kraftwerk …
Industrial solar heat: status quo and costs
IRENA and Solar Heat Europe have both announced webinars that will highlight measures for decarbonising Europe’s industrial sector. On Thursday, 25 February, the IRENA Coalition for Action will present the white paper titled Companies in Transition towards 100 % renewables: Focus on heating and cooling during a 2.5-hour online conference …
