The events of 2020 brought us into a stage of rethinking several aspects of our lives, from our workspace to our relations with others. Everything was impacted by a crisis that goes far beyond health and which consequences are expected in the foreseeable future.

As in any challenge there is also a bright side, the consequences of the COVID19 pandemic brought Europe towards a turning point, forcing decision-makers to rethink the way we manage our society and our planet, allowing us to re-build our economies in a better way.

In the context of the economical green recovery, the Solar Thermal Sector joined forces under one vision – #SolariseHeat, strengthening our position in Europe’s carbon neutrality objectives and reminding about our continuous contribution to a better world.

Recap

First launch: The first launch of the pledge happened in July, with more than 150 signatories, using the context of the EU’s action scene at that time, the approval of the Recovery Funds. We reached out to policymakers to raise attention on the importance of decarbonisation of heating and cooling at all levels, and to publicly inform that our sector is ready to act. The pledge has proven to be an important tool to promote the role of Solar Thermal not just at European but also at the national level.

Relaunch: In September, with more than 200 signatories from 28 countries, we relaunched the initiative, taking strategic advantage of the 2030 targets announcement of the European Commission, during the State of The Union debate at the European Parliament, reinforcing once again our position in the context of the Green Deal and the Green Recovery. With fair support, the solar thermal industry is ready to strive even more, and the pledge summarises the short-term pathway that can enable this transformation.

Dissemination highlights:

• 6 languages
• 2 European press releases sent to European media stakeholders
• 5 national press releases sent by National Associations in Spain, France, Poland, Austria, and Greece
• 1 letter to European policymakers
• 8 letters sent to governments in EU countries in coordination with National Associations
• 20 letters sent to governments by Solar Heat Europe to the other EU countries
• 20+ media mentions
• 20+ tweets with almost 50K impressions (25K in September only)
• 3000+ unique impressions on LinkedIn (September)

What is next?

1. Staying engaged – this is a process that we are creating together, so staying engaged is important from both sides, either if it’s just reading a recent update we are sharing with you, or you reaching out to us with your ideas or updates.
2. Taking action at the national and local levels – the work and advocacy at all levels is an ongoing process, especially in the context of the recovery plans that will be submitted to the EU by the Member States starting this month. We encourage all actors that joined the pledge to take action at the national level and reach out to National Associations. More information about contacts in each country is prepared and will be sent soon to all signatories.
3. Being loud together – continuing communication in different media outlets and social media is of paramount importance in order to keep strengthening our message. The discussions around the Green Recovery and Green Deal will be here for a long time, and what we started as a sector with the pledge, should be always brought to the table.
4. Building on our achievements – One concrete step to keep the motto #SolariseHeat alive and keep building on its impact is an initiative that we started to work on recently, which is gathering information about planned projects and programs for solar thermal installations. Centralizing this data can help all of us to showcase the stability and growth potential of our sector. More information about this will be sent soon through the signatories community.
5. Getting together & exchanging ideas – as previously mentioned, we want to make the most out of this initiative, raising our sector and its visibility on the shoulders of the pledge, and for that, we need to come together and exchange ideas, as well as finding answers together. As such, we kindly invite you to SAVE THE DATE and register for the ST Pledge: Pushing #SolariseHeat forward workshop, that will take place on November 17th, from 15:00 CET.

Background of the initiative:

The solar thermal industry supports the European goals of carbon neutrality by 2050. Actors in this sector are ready to do their part to deliver a green recovery to cope with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, to reach this objective, the benefits and potential of solar heat technologies must be properly reflected and further promoted at the European and national levels.

We need to increase visibility for solar thermal, especially now that recovery measures are under discussion and show the potentiality of this sector in the fulfillment of the Green Deal’s objectives, and the pledge is a key tool in making that happen.