Our Technologies
Solar Energy for Heating and Cooling
Solar heat technologies are based on a simple yet efficient principle: Harnessing the free, abundant, natural yet powerful energy from the sun and using it to provide hot water and space heating for buildings, steam for industry, or even air conditioning and cooling.
Used since centuries and whilst looking apparently simple, solar heat (also called “solar thermal”) is based on state-of-the-art technologies subject to numerous innovation patents developed by hundreds of companies across Europe aiming to provide the most relevant solutions to their clients’ needs. Solar heat can be used in any region in Europe, even in less sunny countries as it also works with indirect sunlight.
All technologies described in this section comply with rigorous certification requirements developed under the European Solar Keymark scheme with broad stakeholder engagement and are recognised at the global level.
Discover our different technologies
How does it work?
The basic principle common to all solar heat systems is the following: Solar radiation is collected and the resulting heat conveyed to a heat transfer medium – usually a fluid but also air in the case of air collectors. The heated medium is used either directly (for example, to heat tap water at home) or indirectly by means of a heat exchanger which transfers the heat to its final destination (for instance in space heating or industrial process heat).
What is Solar Heat?
Solar heat must be clearly distinguished from two other renewable energy technologies using the sun directly – Photovoltaic and Concentrated Solar Power – both of which provide electricity, while solar heat provides heating and cooling. There are three main technologies behind solar heat:
- Non-concentrated technologies, used to date in the majority of solar thermal installations (notably on buildings)
- Concentrated technologies, more suitable for large-scale applications
- A hybrid technology called PVT (Photovoltaic-Thermal), which produces both electricity and heat with the same solar panel
Efficient heat storage comes as a standard with every installed solar thermal system. Furthermore, all solar thermal technologies can hybridise easily with other energy supply or storage solutions, making them a no-regret solution.
Where is Solar Heat technology used?
Solar heat technologies are very flexible and can adapt to a wide range of situations, suitable both for small- and large-scale applications. These include hot water and space heating in residential and tertiary buildings, district heating, industrial process heat, and air conditioning and cooling.
In the case of residential and tertiary buildings, solar thermal collectors are usually installed on rooftops and facades, while for large-scale applications such as district heating networks and industrial uses, their installation is almost exclusively on the ground. However, it is important to note that the surface productivity average of solar thermal collectors is three times higher than that of solar PV, which only uses part of the wavelength of the solar irradiation spectrum. Therefore, to produce the same amount of energy as solar PV, solar thermal just needs one third of the available space.
Solar Heat has a lot to offer
Solar thermal collectors stand out as an effective and proven solution, relying on different state-of-the-art technologies and offering remarkable longevity: Their lifespan can go beyond 30 years, without any degradation of performance. This exceptional durability positions solar thermal as a profitable and ecological investment to provide heat.
Contrary to the electricity sector, where all electrons are equal regardless of their source or final use, the heating sector is composed of various forms of heat. Different needs require different temperature levels, hence different applications, technologies and heating sources are required to cover all heating and cooling needs. Browse our technology pages to discover the different technologies that the solar thermal sector can offer!
