Large gap between targets and installed solar heat capacity in Europe

Last year’s sudden stop of the incentive programme Duurzame Warmte resulted in a drawback for the Dutch solar thermal industry. Still, Arthur de Vries from Holland Solar is convinced that 2012 and 2013 will be different: Probably even within the first quarter of this year, the Netherlands...
One of the biggest Spanish collector manufacturers, Termicol, can still celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. The company has managed to counter the decline in the Spanish market by expanding its business abroad. Today, the export of collectors generates 20 % of the company´...
This report, compiled by the Energy Research Centre from the Netherlands with the help of the European Environment Agency, has been published in February 2011 and illustrates the targeted levels of renewable energy production that the EU member-states want to obtain by 2020.
By the end of 2010, the total surface area of solar collectors in Poland reached 655,000 m2. Newly installed collector area amounted to 146,000 m2, roughly 2,000 m2 more than in 2009. Over the next years, the number of new solar thermal installations is...
The Hungarian solar thermal industry is joining forces: In October 2010, it initiated the founding of the Hungarian solar association Magyar Szolár Szövetség, which will be authorised by the Hungarian administration most probably by the end of March. President of the new association is...
Every fourth Greek household gets its hot water from heating with the sun. The solar market, however, stagnated in 2010. Substantial support mechanisms are needed to fulfil the objectives of the National Renewable Energy Action Plan.
Photo: Joachim Berner
Clear-cut concepts and mandatory targets to protect the climate was what the European Commission requested from the 27 EU members as they created their National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs). On 30 June 2010, 23 states delivered their national version – with meagre success for solar...
In most of the National Renewable Energy Plans (NREAPs), solar thermal was not a priority. Only 8 countries announced significant collector area and growth rates (see news here). solarthermalworld.org asked Xavier Noyon, Secretary General of the European Solar...