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An EU based industry

The solar thermal industry is well-established in Europe, with its origins dating back to the 1980s when enthusiasts of the technology started promoting it as an alternative addressing the oil crisis of the ‘70s. Following the Chernobyl disaster, it became part of the solutions to reduce Europe’s dependency on nuclear energy.

Today, the solar thermal sector has a strong European manufacturing base spread all over the continent, which is able to meet 90% of the domestic demand for solar thermal systems and exports worldwide. Solar Heat Europe represents different parts of the value chain, with its members consisting of suppliers, manufacturers, project developers, research institutes, and national associations from more than 15 European countries.

Boosting European competitiveness

 The European solar thermal sector is composed of hundreds of companies of all sizes. The majority of these are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which contribute to local economies by creating wealth and thousands of jobs across Europe. Producing different state-of-the-art technologies according to the temperature levels required, European solar thermal companies ensure continuous innovation, R&I, and work alongside well-established certification schemes guaranteeing the performance of solar thermal collectors in the European market and beyond.

This makes European SMEs clearly stand out in supplying the domestic market and exporting worldwide.

Ensuring energy security

In a context where geopolitical tensions exacerbate the need for energy security, it is crucial to opt for local and resilient supply chains. The European solar thermal industry does not depend on critical raw materials or supplies from volatile partners and has a variety of supply channels for its main components (copper, aluminium, glass). Therefore, solar heat is able to provide an independent energy source and self-reliance for the EU. Citizens across the continent are already benefiting from 11 million rooftops using solar thermal energy and local energy storage capacity.

A net exporter

The European solar thermal industry is not only able to meet 90% of the EU market demand, but it is also a net exporter with a positive trade balance. European companies export their solar thermal technologies all over the world, guaranteeing European quality standards across the globe and contributing to Europe’s competitiveness.

Did you know?

70% of the production of solar thermal in Greece is exported worldwide

COMPANIES REPRESENTED
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SMEs
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The European solar thermal sector is able to
triple EU based manufacturing by 2030, provided that proper incentives are in place

NZIA in action: Explore European solar thermal companies

Industry

Aalborg CSP A/S is a leading developer and supplier of innovative, renewable technologies with the vision of ‘Changing Energy’ aiming at changing the way energy is produced and stored today. They design and supply green solutions and integrated energy systems based on solar energy, large-scale heat pumps, seasonal thermal energy storage, heat exchanger and much more for industries and district energy networks worldwide.

Industry

Abora Solar is the company that currently designs and manufactures one of the most efficient certified PVT solar panel in the world, with an 87% efficiency. Based in Zaragoza, Spain, they market their latest generation solar solutions to countries such as France, Switzerland, Iceland, Germany, Colombia, Greece or Portugal.

Industry

Absolicon is a leading developer and manufacturer of concentrated solar heat solutions, primarily known for its innovative solar collector systems. Based in Sweden, the company specializes in providing robust, high-efficiency solar thermal collectors that are used in various applications, including industrial processes, district heating, and large buildings. Absolicon's technology harnesses solar energy to produce heat and steam, significantly reducing carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels. Their systems are designed to deliver high temperatures, which are essential for industrial heat processes, making solar thermal energy a viable solution for sustainable industrial and urban development.

Supporter

AEE - Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC) was founded in 1988 and is today one of the leading European institutes for applied research in the field of renewable energy and resource efficiency. In the three target group areas "Buildings", "Cities & Networks" and "Industrial Systems" as well as three technological working groups "Renewable Energies", "Thermal Storages" and "Water and Process Technologies", the range of R&D projects carried out extends from basic research projects to the implementation of demonstration plants.

Industry

AKOTEC is a manufacturer of solar thermal heating systems based in Brandenburg, Germany. The company has been producing highly efficient solar thermal tube collectors since 2008 and sells them worldwide. AKOTEC offers solutions for single-family and multi-family homes and supports the planning of commercial applications such as paint shops, hotels, and local and district heating networks. In 2019, AKOTEC received the Berlin-Brandenburg Innovation Award for the development of the MEGA collector. The MEGA collector is a large-scale collector for CO²-free solar heat feed into local and district heating networks.

Industry

Alanod Solar is recognized as the world's largest manufacturer of high-selective absorbing surfaces for solar hot water and commercial process heat, as well as high-reflecting aluminum mirrors. Their products are designed to enhance the efficiency of solar thermal systems by increasing the absorption of solar energy while minimizing heat loss. Alanod Solar's innovative surface technologies are critical for improving the performance of solar thermal applications, making solar energy more viable and effective for a wide range of industrial uses.

National Association

Belsolar was founded in 1998 as an association of suppliers of solar energy systems. The members of Belsolar are specialized in systems for active thermal solar energy or solar boilers. Since 2010, Belsolar has been part of Climafed, the Belgian federation for climate technologies, which has been active in the heating market since 1973 and until recently was known as ATTB, the Association for Thermal Technologies in Belgium.

National Association

Aurinkoteknillinen is the Finnish Solar Energy Association

National Association

The Austria Solar association brings together all well-known suppliers of solar heating systems. The association was founded in 1999. The association represents the interests of over 160 companies from six different countries (Austria, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, France), from manufacturers, suppliers, dealers and project developers to installers. All well-known R&D facilities for solar heating are also represented in the association.

Members of Austria Solar
  • Absolicon Solar Collector AB
  • AEE - Institute for Sustainable Technologies
  • AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
  • Armacell Austria GmbH
  • AZTEQ BV
  • BELIMO Automation Handelsgesellschaft mbH
  • BES BuildingEnergySolutions GmbH
  • Robert Bosch AG
  • Buderus Robert Bosch AG
  • Walter Bösch GmbH & Co KG
  • CONA Development & Trading Company mbH
  • ecop Technologies GmbH
  • ECOTHERM Austria GmbH
  • ELCO Austria GmbH
  • ESC Energy Systems Company GmbH
  • FH Upper Austria Research and Development GmbH
  • ASiC - Austria Solar Innovation Center
  • Gasokol GmbH
  • Fa. Simona Alexe-greeniXcloud - ZERO EMISSION BUILDING DESIGN
  • GREENoneTEC Solarindustrie GmbH
  • HARGASSNER Ges mbH
  • Harreither Ges.mbH
  • Hoval Gesellschaft mbH
  • IG LIFECYCLE CONSTRUCTION
  • Ing. Leo Riebenbauer GmbH
  • Office for Renewable Energy
  • INHAUS Handels GmbH
  • isoplus Fernwärmetechnik Gesellschaft mbH
  • KELAG Energie & Wärme GmbH
  • KWB Energiesysteme GmbH
  • MSG MySolar GmbH
  • NARVA Lichtquellen GmbH + Co. KG
  • Newheat SAS
  • ruvi eU
  • Savosolar GmbH
  • SIKO GmbH
  • SOLARFOCUS GmbH
  • Solar Engineering Guggenberger
  • SOLID Solar Energy Systems GmbH
  • Sonnenkraft Austria Sales GmbH
  • Sunmaxx PVT GmbH
  • Technische Alternative GmbH
  • Vaillant Group Austria GmbH
  • Viessmann Ges.mbH
  • Wilo Pumpen Österreich GmbH
  • Wolf Klima- und Heiztechnik GmbH
Industry

BDR Thermea is a leading manufacturer and distributor of innovative heating and cooling solutions for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. With a strong presence across Europe and extending globally, BDR Thermea offers a comprehensive range of products, including boilers, heat pumps, solar thermal systems, and hydrogen boilers.

Supporter

Boortmalt is a global malting company with a production capacity of 3 million tonnes. The group is present on 5 continents with 27 malting plants. Boortmalt’s expertise is widely acknowledged by brewers, distillers, and food industries who rely on the supply of top-quality malted barley. Boortmalt has committed to the Science Based Targets initiative through which we have pledged to do our bit to keep warming below 1.5°C.

National Association

As an industry association BSW has been representing the corporate interests of the solar and solar storage industry in Germany and important foreign markets with competence and commitment for many years. They as an informant, consultant and mediator in the areas of activity between industry, politics and consumers. They ensure investment security in the growing solar energy industry. All the important companies in the solar industry—from raw material suppliers and production companies, through traders to operating companies, planners and financiers—rely on the expertise and communication skills of the German Solar Association.

Industry

Calpak was founded in 1976 as a subsidiary company of BP (British Petroleum) and soon became the first company in Europe to make the use of solar energy for domestic hot water familiar to the consumers. Since 1990, it continues its successful course as a purely Greek company. Up to date, more than 300,000 Calpak solar systems have been installed in European householders whilst Calpak remains a pioneer in the field of research, development and production of quality solar thermal collectors and hot water tanks.

Supporter

CEA’s Liten institute, located at the Grenoble CEA centre and the INES (Chambéry) site, is a CEA technological research institute specializing in energy transition technology. Its research activities focus on a number of key areas: solar power, network management, storage, including batteries, and hydrogen, geared to energy efficiency and a circular economy. Its research encompasses diverse applications in the energy generation and distribution markets, transport and industrial processes, and for the environment. CEA’s Liten institute is a member of the Carnot Institute for Future Energy Sources.

Supporter

The National Renewable Energy Centre of Spain (CENER) develops applied research in renewable energies, and provides technological support to companies and energy institutions in five areas: wind, solar thermal and photovoltaic solar energy, biomass, energy transition in cities, and grid integration, electrical storage and hydrogen. CENER is a technology centre with worldwide recognised prestige, activity and experience.

Service Provider

The Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (CRES) is the Greek national Centre for Renewable Energy Sources (RES), Rational Use of Energy (RUE) and Energy Saving (ES). It is a public entity, supervised by the Ministry of Environment and Energy and has financial and administrative independence. Its main goal is the promotion of RES/RUE/ES applications at a national and international level, as well as the support of related activities taking into consideration the principles of sustainable development.

Industry

DualSun was founded in 2010 by two engineers from the École Centrale Paris, Jérôme Mouterde and Laetitia Brottier. DualSun is the designer of the world’s first certified hybrid solar panel “Made in France”. This 2-in-1 panel produces both electricity and hot water. It is designed by a team of engineers based in Marseille and manufactured in a dedicated factory labelled “Vitrine Industrie du Futur” in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. DualSun has also developed MyDualSun, a simple and fast simulator that allows to carry out a complete study of a project.

National Association

The Hellenic Federation of Solar Industries (EBHE) was founded in 1979. Today it has  22 regular members from the solar heating systems manufacturing industry, as well as 30 associate members like the Solar Systems Laboratory of the National " Demokritos " Research Center and the Center for Renewable Energy Sources - CRES.

National Association

Enerplan is a French national solar energy association composed of professionals from various sectors such as industry, construction, trade, and services. The association was founded in 1983. As a significant proponent of solar energy, Enerplan's primary missions include representing the solar energy sector in France and promoting its development across all applications, ensuring it plays a crucial role in the country's transition to renewable energy sources.

Service Provider

Fraunhofer ISE, with a staff of about 1400, is the largest solar research institute in Europe. They are committed to promoting a sustainable, economic, secure and socially just energy supply system based on renewable energy sources.

Industry

G2 Energy is a manufacturer, supplier and installer of solar heating systems supplied directly to end users. With years of experience in the industry, they have proven themselves as experts in large-scale solar heating systems. The company focuses on medium to large-scale systems ranging from 50 m² to 25,000 m² and even larger. Since 2019, they have realised one of the largest solar thermal projects in the Netherlands to date with a 9,300 m² aperture surface system at a flower grower, and in 2020 have surpassed this with a 15,000 m² system.

Industry

GREENoneTEC is recognised as the world's largest solar thermal flat-plate-collector manufacturer, with an annual production capacity exceeding 1.6 million square meters of panels. Headquartered in Austria, the company operates highly automated and process-secured robotic production lines, ensuring high-quality products with excellent delivery performance and reliability. Specialising in solar thermal collectors, GREENoneTEC provides tailored solutions to meet specific customer needs, contributing to the global shift towards sustainable energy solutions.

Industry

Heliac produces concentrated solar heat for industrial process heat and district heating. The heat is supplied at temperatures up to 180C. Heliac uses transparent micro-structured Fresnel lenses to concentrate sunlight the same way magnifying glasses do. The company is based north of Copenhagen in Denmark, where it employs 45 people.

National Association

Since 1983, Holland Solar has been the trade association for all companies active in the Dutch solar energy sector. Holland Solar, together with its members, ensures that the sector can continue to grow in a sustainable way.

Service Provider

The Institute for Building Energetics, Thermotechnology, and Energy Storage (IGTE) at the University of Stuttgart strengthens its lead in energy technology, focusing on building energetics and district concepts. Established in 2018 by merging three institutes, IGTE stands as a broad research center committed to addressing major challenges in energy engineering. This includes tackling complex issues in research, teaching, and technology transfer, particularly in the integration and optimization of energy systems for sustainable urban development.

Service Provider

Based in Brussels, the International Copper Association (ICA) Europe is the leading advocate for the copper industry in Europe. As ICA's European branch, the organisation represents companies that mine, smelt and recycle copper for use across the economy, in the electricity system, buildings, transport and industry. Through a team of policy, industry and scientific experts, ICA Europe promotes copper as an essential material for achieving the EU's ambition of a resilient, climate-neutral Europe and seeks to ensure that EU policies enable the sustainable production of copper to serve Europe's future needs

Industry

Magontec Limited is a global manufacturer and distributor specializing in magnesium and titanium cathodic corrosion protection products. Founded in 1953 and headquartered in Potts Point, Australia, Magontec has facilities in Germany and China as well. The company's products include cathodic corrosion anodes and various magnesium alloys, serving industries requiring corrosion protection solutions​.

Industry

Naked Energy is a British design and engineering business, leading the global innovation in solar thermal and solar PVT with a mission to change energy for good. The business has set out to decarbonise heating and cooling globally, and so support the transition to net zero carbon. Naked Energy’s high energy density solutions are capable to decarbonise heat affordably given their distributed nature, and its solar PVT technology delivers up to 3.5 times the energy per m2 in comparison to conventional solar electricity or PV technology.

Service Provider

Newheat is a company based in France that specialises in designing, financing, building, and operating renewable heat and waste-heat production units tailored to customer needs. They focus on delivering reliable, competitive, and CO2-free heat supply solutions. Newheat is known for its expertise in developing solar heat plants  that harnesses solar energy to hot water, steam, or thermal oil, transforming solar radiation into heat through solar thermal collectors. Their approach is aimed at fostering sustainable development and energy efficiency in various sectors, including industrial applications and district heating networks.

Service Provider

Novar specializes in developing green energy systems for the corporate market, encompassing generation, storage, distribution, and management. Their turn-key projects are designed to contribute significantly to green energy systems, emphasizing clean generation, efficient storage, smart delivery, and intelligent management – all the way from A to Zero.

National Association

The Cyprus Union of Solar Thermal Industrialists was founded in 1977 and is the sole organization in Cyprus regarding Solar Thermal Systems. Cyprus has always been a pioneer in solar thermal systems. The industry began in the 1960’s and currently the Union comprises of 25 member companies. The majority of manufacturers produce flat plate collectors and thermosyphonic systems with an annual production of 45-50,000m2. With more than 92% of households and 54% of hotels using solar thermal systems, Cyprus boasts the highest installed capacity in the world with 1m2 collector area/capita.

Industry

While the company has produced a number of products in its nearly 100 years of operation, Rheem is currently a global manufacturer that produces heating, cooling, water heating, pool & spa heating and commercial refrigeration products. Solahart is part of Rheem Australia, offering a comprehensive range of solar products, including solar power systems, solar hot water solutions, heat pumps, battery storage, and the innovative Solahart PowerStore® - Australia’s first solar-smart electric water heater.

Industry

Savosolar is a solar thermal manufacturer and a game changer in the industry. Their solar thermal collectors are one of the most efficient in the world for large scale systems, and were invented by a group of Finnish entrepreneurs and engineers who wanted to use their coating expertise to make a difference by offering the world better and cleaner energy solutions.

National Association

The Macedonian Solar Association “Solar Macedonia” is a professional, scientific, educational, and non-governmental association whose focus is strengthening cooperation between North Macedonian and regional companies in the solar energy sector (producers, contractors, importers, traders, academic experts, etc.), as well as connecting experts and scientists from all scientific branches for the promotion of renewable energy sources.

Service Provider

Solar Promotion GmbH and its international subsidiaries, Solar Promotion International GmbH and Conexio-PSE GmbH, organise conferences and exhibitions in the area of renewable energy and energy efficiency around the world. The smarter E, their product, is a leading innovation and communication platform, which focuses on the generation, storage, distribution and use of energy and its intelligent and interlinked interaction.

Industry

SOLID Solar Energy Systems GmbH, based in Graz, Austria, specialises in engineering and providing turnkey solutions for large-scale solar thermal energy systems. Established in 1992, SOLID has become a key player in planning, building, delivering, assembling, and operating solar plants that supply hot water, room heating, industrial process heat, and district heating. With projects around the world, SOLID combines extensive knowledge and research and development to advance solar thermal technologies and systems.

Service Provider

The SPF Institute for Solar Technology was founded in 1981 and is part of the OST Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, located in Rapperswil at the lake of Zurich. 50 employees focus on various topics in the field of renewable energy technology and run an internationally accredited test laboratory.

National Association

The Spiug association brings together  leading production companies that operate actively on the Polish installation and heating market in the field of modern and ecological technologies for generating heat and hot water.

National Association

Swedish Solar Energy is a trade association with approximately 380 member companies. They represent the Swedish solar energy industry and by creating opinion and influencing decision makers, they work to develop solar energy in Sweden.

National Association

Swissolar is the Swiss association of solar energy professionals. It represents the Swiss solar industry, that is to say all companies and institutions in the solar economy, as well as organisations that defend the interests of the solar economy.

Industry

TVP Solar is a Swiss-based company specialising in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of innovative high-vacuum flat solar thermal panels. These panels are used in a variety of applications, including industrial process heat and steam, district heating, water treatment, desalination, cooling, and air conditioning. The company's products aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and provide cost-effective, emission-free thermal energy solutions. TVP Solar's technology is distinguished by its use of high-vacuum technology, enhancing the efficiency and performance of its solar thermal panels.

Industry

VENMAN is a leading Greek OEM/ODM company, a pioneer in the manufacture of heating tanks and energy-saving items for Greece and the whole world, providing these services for over 30 years.

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