Brussels, 20th November. Solar Heat Europe, in collaboration with the European Heating Industry association (EHI), presented their new brochure yesterday at the European Parliament during an event hosted by Prof. Yannis Maniatis, MEP and Vice-President of the S&D Group. The gathering brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and energy experts to highlight the critical role of solar thermal technology in Europe’s path toward decarbonisation.
Opening the evening, Prof. Maniatis pointed the urgency of action at EU level. “Now is the moment for solar thermal to grow,” he stated, reaffirming the Parliament’s commitment to advancing technologies that can directly support Europe’s energy goals. He welcomed the industry’s initiative and underlined the importance of giving visibility and support to solutions that are already mature, reliable, and ready for deployment.
Stella Kaltsouni, from the Cabinet of Commissioner Jørgensen, explained that accelerating homegrown renewables deployment is “Europe’s best chance to achieve energy independence”, stabilise costs for consumers, and strengthen the European market. By enhancing resilience against potential crises, solar thermal becomes both an economic and strategic asset.
Valérie Séjourné, Managing Director of Solar Heat Europe, clearly explained how solar thermal systems work and why they represent a key component of Europe’s clean-heat transition. She introduced the newly joint brochure prepared between SHE and EHI on the benefits of solar heat in buildings, highlighted their zero-emission operation and the compatibility with all other heating technologies, which make it a “no-regret option” for industries and buildings.
The event was followed by the presentations from manufacturers such as, Christos Travasaros, member of the Solar Heat Europe Board of Directors andRepresentative of EBHE, the Greek Solar Thermal Industry Association. He presented the case of Greece, a country where solar thermal has been successfully integrated and produced since the 70’s. Nowadays, over 1/3 of Greek household has solar heated, which according to Travasaros, proves that “Europe already has the solution to decarbonise buildings affordably and efficiently”.
Martin Mense, International Product Manager at Bosch Solarthermie GmbH, provided valuable facts and figures on the benefits of coupling solar thermal and heat pumps, leading to further energy savings, longevity of the heat pumps and affordability of energy cost by consumers .
The intervention from Federica Sabbati, Secretary General at the European Heating Industry association stressed the potential of Europe’s clean-heat sector to create jobs and strengthen the European production which will also benefit the economy, as it was exposed with the Greek example.
Guglielmo Cioni, president of Solar Heat Europe, presented solar thermal as a mainstream solution capable of replacing fossil fuels “without the side effects of emissions or external dependency”. He acknowledged that upfront investment is fundamental to make the clean and “painless for citizens” transition. As Europe prepares for a future in which mobility, digitalisation, and AI will significantly increase energy demand, Cioni argued that solar thermal is uniquely positioned to meet these rising needs sustainably and securely.
