On June 16th and 17th, we celebrated Solar Heat Europe’s General Assembly in the beautiful city of Bordeaux. The two-day event brought together members, industry leaders, and stakeholders to exchange insights, discuss challenges, and shape the future of solar thermal energy in Europe.
Workshop with members
The event kicked off with a workshop for Solar Heat Europe members. It began with a “tour de table”, where directors from different National Associations shared updates on their countries’ progress with the implementation of Fit for 55 and discussed the current market situations and challenges.
The conversation then shifted to the buildings market segment, including a review of the progress regarding the Solar Heat Europe solar mandate acceptance and other market developments. This segment also featured an exchange of best practices from National Associations. Edwige Porcheyre from ENERPLAN introduced SOCOL, a collaborative initiative designed to support medium and large-scale solar thermal projects by developing practical tools and sharing best practices to accelerate the adoption of collective solar heat. Following this, Roger Hackstock from Austria Solar provided insights into the successful solar heat promotion campaign carried out in Styria, Austria.
The workshop concluded with two technical updates. Pedro Dias, Deputy Managing Director of Solar Heat Europe, shared the latest developments on Ecodesign and Energy Labelling regulations. Following this, Lucia Torlai, EU Project Officer, provided an overview of relevant EU project calls and available funding opportunities (more info herewith via our members’ platform).
Solar Heat Europe statutory General Assembly
The second day began with the statutory GA: President Guiglielmo Cioni presented a comprehensive review of the association’s activities and achievements over the past year, highlighting the progress made. Following budget matters, members of the Association then elected the new Board of Directors for the 2025–2027 term. Guglielmo Cioni was re-elected as President, continuing his leadership for another mandate. The Board now includes Oleguer Fuertes, Christophe Williams, and Roger Hackstock, who were re-elected, as well as two newly elected members, Christos Travasaros (representing National Associations) and Lucie Nebut (representing service providers). Edwige Porcheyre (Enerplan) and Pierre Delmas (Newheat) were thanked for their respective contributions to the Board. Out thoughts went also to memory of Hugues Defréville, former CEO of Newheat (based in Bordeaux) and former SHE board member.
Solar Heat Europe conference
The conference kick-started with key insights provided by Mechtild Wörsdörfer, Deputy Director General of DG Ener in the European Commission, and MEP Thomas Pellerin Carlin, Member of the ITRE committee and substitute member of the ENVI Committee, both confirming the key role that solar heat can play in the energy transition (see article – for members).
These came at a timely moment given the current implementation framework for the Fit x 55 package and announcement of an upcoming Heating and Cooling Strategy, presented by Esteban Gas, Junior Policy Officer at Solar Heat Europe.
This was followed by a joint presentation by Pierre Delmas from Newheat and Edwige Porcheyre from Enerplan, who shared the testimonial from Enerplan and ADEME for a Solar Thermal Action Plan expected shortly in France.
The morning concluded with a dynamic panel discussion that explored key challenges and opportunities for the sector. Panelists discussed how to accelerate the energy transition and stimulate demand in the various market segments where solar thermal can have a key role. The discussion featured perspectives from Christos Travasaros of the Greek National Association EBHE, Guglielmo Cioni from TVP Solar, Jean-Marie Nougaret from Giordano Energy, Ingo Lankmayr from GreenOneTec, and Daniel Mugnier from Planair, offering a rich exchange of ideas and experiences from across Europe.
The event was followed by the Bordeaux Solar Summit and the annual event of the French National Association, Enerplan, with its États Généraux de la Chaleur Solaire, with contributions from our Managing Director Valérie Séjourné. At a time when national transposition of the EU regulations is so critical, such back-to-back events and networking opportunities were highly valuable!
With a renewed Board of Directors, Solar Heat Europe and its members are ready to drive the energy transition forward, ensuring that solar thermal continues to play a crucial role in delivering sustainable, affordable, and clean heating solutions across Europe.
