Based in Brussels, the International Copper Association (ICA) Europe is the leading advocate for the copper industry in Europe. As ICA’s European branch, the organisation represents companies that mine, smelt and recycle copper for use across the economy, in the electricity system, buildings, transport and industry. Through a team of policy, industry and scientific experts, ICA Europe promotes copper as an essential material for achieving the EU’s ambition of a resilient, climate-neutral Europe and seeks to ensure that EU policies enable the sustainable production of copper to serve Europe’s future needs.
Solarthermalworld.org was initiated by ICA Europe 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 ICA Europe has supported the hosting of the website until 2021 as well as the content gathering continuously since 2008.
Please see below our most recent articles:
Big Solar in Kosovo replaces coal-based electric heating
The way is clear for the construction of one of the largest solar district heating plants in Europe. The financing package for the EUR 80 million project was signed on 20 December in Pristina, Kosovo. The European Commission, the KfW banking group and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development …
Welcome to a new year and another chance for solar heat to get big
Multi-megawatt solar process heat plants are on the increase. A new record-size system in France with 13 MW for a dairy is in the commissioning phase. Construction of a 28.5 MW field of parabolic trough collectors for a Heineken factory in Spain is progressing well. Belgium will see the largest …
Historically high growth in Europe’s solar heat market in 2021
Solar heat is on a growth path in Europe. The newly installed capacity grew by 8 % in 2021 to 1.45 GW in the EU27 plus Switzerland and Great Britain – a historically high percent growth. The countries with double-digit growth according to market statistics from Solar Heat Europe (SHE) …
Successful operator models for solar district heating in Germany
Around 50 large solar district heating systems are in operation in Germany, among them a growing number of energy community initiated projects. The three-year SolnetPlus project aims to popularise solar district heating especially among municipalities. On 24 November 2022, the project held a webinar on the topic of Successful operator …
Gas-free industrial heat with PVT collectors and heat pumps
While gas and electricity prices are exploding, the demand for alternative heating solutions is growing. Hybrid systems consisting of gas boilers and heat pumps are being promoted intensively in the Netherlands. However, PVT systems combined with heat pumps could be a new, efficient solution on the path towards gas-free industrial …
“Access to land is one of the key bottlenecks for rolling out renewables”
The REPowerEU plan from May 2022 includes a series of measures to overcome the EU’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to renewable energies. In addition to a Solar Energy Strategy and a Solar Rooftop Initiative, it introduced the concept of go-to-areas as an instrument to avoid …
National Round Table discusses market development and policies in Italy
How could heating and cooling contribute to the decarbonisation of the energy sector in Italy? To answer this ambitious question, on 27 October the Renewable Heating & Cooling European Technology Platform, with specific support from Solar Heat Europe, organised a round table with almost 70 participants. The event focused on …
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 …
