Heating & Cooling
Heating and cooling (H&C) represents today 46% of EU energy system.
That is, more than 5700 TWh, out of which, only 18% are produced with renewable sources of heating. That said, in light of the magnitude of the H&C sector, this contribution is still higher – in absolute terms – than renewable electricity: around 1000 TWh of renewable heating are today deployed in the EU energy mix, against a bit less than 900 TWh of renewable electricity.
Decarbonising the heating and cooling sector
No centralised solution alone can cope with this challenge! The heating sector needs involving millions of consumers, each spending a few to improve their heating system and switch to renewable heat, rather than a few large projects, each worth several million euros.
Due to the quality of the energy involved, the H&C sector is mostly decentralized. Heating cannot be effectively traded, sold or transported over long distances or across countries. Centralised solutions such as
- Highly efficient 4th generation district heating
Highly efficient 4th generation district heating, with a high share of renewables in it, are to be pursued whenever feasible. However, the EU H&C market includes over 120 million individual boilers, mostly old and inefficient.
Decarbonizing the heating
and cooling sector
Solar Heat Europe’s mission is to achieve high priority and acceptance for solar heat as a key element for sustainable heating and cooling in Europe and, with immediate effect, to work for the implementation of all necessary steps to realise the high potential of solar heat.
Decarbonising the heating and cooling sector will be the main challenge for our energy system, and renewable heat will necessarily be the main answer. However, it also offers great opportunities to support local industries, create local jobs, improve air quality and reduce energy dependency by using local sources of renewable heat
The new 2030 framework
Renewable Energy
The H&C sector received very little attention from policy-makers, until recently. The 2009 Renewable Energy Directive was ill-equipped to deal with heating, while it extensively promoted renewable electricity. The new 2030 framework is the opportunity for the sector to correct past policy mistakes, and for the EU to finally untap a key sector for its decarbonization efforts, as well as for energy security, air quality, local jobs and growth.
European Strategy on Heating and Cooling
In February 2016, the Commission published the European Strategy on Heating and Cooling. Solar Heat Europe welcomed the publication of the strategy as a first step in exploring the issues and challenges in this sector, and an important milestone to improve the policy framework for the solar thermal sector, as it sets the direction for future EU legislative works.
