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:
37 MW solar district heating plant in the Netherlands with outstanding features
At the beginning of November construction started of a 37 MW solar district heating plant in Groningen, Netherlands. The 48,000 m2 collector field will be connected to the district heating grid of Groningen, which is operated by the utility company Warmtestad. Three companies joined forces to develop this ambitious project: …
Call for a strong solar mandate across Europe
In a joint letter, 18 organisations from diverse sectors of the economy have called on EU Energy Ministers and the European Parliament to support an ambitious EU solar mandate. Among the signatories are the Brussels-based associations Solar Heat Europe and the European Copper Institute. The joint letter advocates a strong …
More than EUR 1 billion of incentives available in Spain
Solar thermal and heat pump technologies are currently benefiting from several incentive schemes in Spain. Until the end of 2023, these technologies are eligible for more than EUR 1 billion. For the first time, a subsidy especially for district heating & cooling has been approved with a budget of EUR …
Will smart district heating bring solar thermal back into focus in Germany?
Even now, when everybody is talking about heat costs and gas security, solar thermal has a hard time in Germany competing against PV and heat pump combinations. To bring solar thermal back onto the agenda, the annual conference Forum Neue Energiewelt offered a special session on smart and intelligent operation …
Average gas price of 140 EUR/MWh over the next four years
The E.ON group is positioning itself more and more as a provider of sustainable energy solutions for commercial customers. Solar industrial heat (SHIP) is one of the solutions being considered, especially because good funding is available for SHIP in many European countries, as Kevin Bär pointed out during his presentation …
Fund of EUR 3 billion for decarbonising German district heating
The German Ministry of Economics is making EUR 3 billion available until 2026 for decarbonising the district heating sector. Municipalities, energy suppliers and energy communities can apply for funding from 15 September. The BEW programme, short for Federal funding for efficient heating networks will finance the new construction of heating …
Concentrating solar heat capacity quadruples in 2022
Multinational corporations have discovered solar steam as an important way to achieve their climate protection goals. Among the global players that have purchased a solar industrial heat plant this year are the huge breweries Heineken and Carlsberg. By the end of the year Givaudan, the worldwide largest producer of flavours …
Solar heat market and industry info package 2022
The Renewables 2022 Global Status Report is a heavy publication. It aims to report comprehensively on nine renewable energy technologies and their market, industrial and political developments in 2021. This has resulted in another thick work of 312 pages with 69 graphics and tables. It is a challenge to find …
“A tripling of solar thermal capacity in this decade is quite realistic”
At a meeting on 27 June, the EU Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) discussed the role of solar heat in the Union’s Solar Energy Strategy, published in mid-May. Although the strategy has the status of a non-binding communication disseminated for informational purposes, it is considered to be an …
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 …
