On the occasion of today’s release of the Draghi report on the future of European competitiveness, the European solar thermal industry confirms its role to provide renewable, decarbonized, efficient and resilient heat supply for buildings and industrial users. However, policy support is needed to accelerate the rollout of renewables and to promote innovation in clean tech in Europe.
The solar heat sector provides already 41GWth of clean energy harnessed from the sun’s free energy to millions of households, tertiary buildings and users of district heating networks. Solar heat is also a growing technology for industrial users in the food and beverage, chemicals, and automotive sector.
Reacting to today’s EU Competitiveness report, Valérie Séjourné, Managing Director, commented: “Our sector is proud to be delivering, thanks to our EU-based manufacturers and project developers, 90% of the European demand of solar heat. Many of our enterprises also export worldwide over 70% of their production. As a sector clearly cited in the Net-Zero Industry Act, solar heat provides ready-to-use renewable heat supplies both to millions of citizens keen to benefit from affordable heating and to industrial users keen to hold their manufacturing sites in Europe and provide local jobs to the community. We welcome that the report acknowledges the intertwined roles of decarbonisation and competitiveness, as these are exactly at the heart of our industry. We also welcome that the report asks for “accelerating of decarbonisation in a cost-efficient way, leveraging all available solutions through a technology neutral approach”. Heat represents 80% of our energy needs in buildings and 60% in industry. Solar heat can – if adequately promoted by local authorities and financial incentives – help European citizens and entrepreneurs to benefit from a reliable, circular and secure energy source”.
Warning about the fact that the solar heat sector also suffers from Chinese dumping of PV imports in Europe competing on the same rooftop space for buildings, she continued: “For the climate agenda, for our industries and for our citizens’ welfare, health and well-being, it is crucial that all policy tools and the right price signals for the relevant technologies, notably solar heat, are provided, and that the “made in Europe” standard of our industry gets increasingly promoted and used. Several of our companies are expanding their production lines to meet this growing demand.”
About Solar Heat Europe/ESTIF:
Solar Heat Europe/ESTIF’s mission is to promote solar heat as a key technology for the decarbonisation of heating and cooling in Europe and to realise the high potential of solar heat in the energy transition. With members in more than 15 European countries, Solar Heat Europe members cover different parts of the value chain, being based in countries as diverse as Finland or Cyprus.
Contact:
| Valérie Séjourné Managing Director valerie.sejourne@solarheateurope.eu Tel: +32 471 34 19 24 | Anna Ledro Communications and Events Officer anna.ledro@solarheateurope.eu Tel: +32 2 318 40 59 |