Sun shines on Greek and Austrian solar energy

Date: 05/06/03

GERMANY, Greece and Austria are Europe's 'sun kings', representing 80 of total solar energy use in 21 nations surveyed by the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF).

In relation to its population, Greece is the solar thermal energy leader (264 square metres collected per 1,000 inhabitants), with Austria coming in second at 203 square metres.

But the study reveals that Spain, Italy and France have started to catch up.

"Solar thermal energy has grown by 11.7 per year over the past decade, and still the technical potential for this clean technology is largely untapped," said ESTIF president Ole Pilgaard.

"We estimate that 1.4 billion square metres of solar thermal collectors could be installed in the EU. This is 100 times more than the current capacity of roughly 14 million square metres."

The study also includes an action plan.

Its aim, according to Pilgaard, is "to help Europe realise this vast potential and thus reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, nuclear power and imported energy".

"Solar thermal systems provide clean solar energy for a wide range of applications, from domestic hot water to space heating, from solar cooling to industrial process heat."

The study's key findings will be presented at the first European Solar Thermal Energy Conference.

The conference takes place on 26-27 June in Freiburg, Germany.