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:
Hopes of improved market framework at the French General State of Solar Heat Conference
The French solar thermal industry is confident about 2023. The 10th edition of the recognized annual conference Etats Generaux de la Chaleur Solaire (General State of Solar Heat) counted a record number of participants – 120 in person and more than 500 online. The one-day event was jointly organized by …
Entry into solar shares at low market values
The project business in the solar thermal sector is still in the red. High project development costs for rather small projects are dragging down the balance sheets of the companies. Accordingly, the share prices of listed companies have lost value in recent years. We asked Max Deml, Editor-in-Chief of the …
Spain´s solar thermal market impacted by various new policies
Spain’s solar thermal market contracted again in 2022 by 12 % according to the latest market survey by the solar energy association ASIT. New emerging segments are PVT and solar industrial heat (SHIP). Although sales in these two technologies are still small, sector representatives expect double-digit growth in the years …
EED & RED III – two amended directives to lead the way to climate neutrality
The European institutions have agreed on stricter binding targets for renewables and stricter rules for energy efficiency. The European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Council ended the so-called trilogue and agreed on amended versions of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). In …
Pilot projects show promising results for ultra-low-temperature district heating
District heating systems have long been a key component of urban energy infrastructure, but they also come with significant heat losses and energy inefficiencies. Three pilot projects across Europe have been testing a new approach: ultra-low-temperature district heating – with promising results. By reducing heat losses and incorporating renewable energy …
“I see huge opportunities to shed more light on the benefits of solar heat”
Solar Heat Europe has strengthened its team. At the beginning of April, Valérie Séjourné (left) took over the Managing Director position from Pedro Dias. Séjourné comes with more than 25 years of experience in communication, sustainability and advocacy with industry association background. Dias, who led the Solar Heat Europe (SHE) …
Spanish SHIP market falters as deadlines and supply delays halt progress
Spain’s solar thermal industry is facing a setback as it struggles to deliver many of the projects awarded in the most recent call for commercial and industrial solar heat projects. The scheme funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) allocated EUR 108 million to support 51 solar heat projects …
Feasibility studies for large solar heat plants totalling almost 1 million m2 underway
Austria is one of the leading countries in the European Union in the use of renewable energies, ranking fifth with a 36 % share of final energy consumption in the year 2021. Is Austria – like most other EU countries – focusing almost exclusively on renewable electricity generation for decarbonising …
EU to extend emissions trading to private households and transport
From 2027 onward, private households in the European Union will also have to pay a CO2 tax on the fossil fuels they use. This is envisaged by the reform of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), on which negotiators agreed in mid-December 2022 in the so-called Trilogue of the …
PVT Big Solar projects for industrial clients in Austria
The Austrian planning team Simona Alexe – greenixcloud is now developing PVT Big Solar projects for industrial clients. Big Solar refers to solar heat systems that store surplus solar energy from the summer in seasonal storage to cover energy needs in winter. The term has previously been used for large …
Promising results from innovative solar district heating plants
In a webinar in mid-February, AMORCE, the French district heating association, described the successes of the French district heating sector and its growth strategy. It is a small sector covering only 5 % of the total heat demand – but is already decarbonised to a great extent. With more than …
The German solar thermal market only grew slightly in the energy crisis year 2022
The German industry associations BSW Solar and BDH have published the market statistics for the German solar thermal market in 2022. With 11 % growth, collector sales developed positively. The newly installed solar thermal capacity in 2022 amounted to 496 MW, up from 448 MW in the previous year (see …
