Europe installs another 2,100 MW of solar thermal capacity

BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 18, 2007. The European Union installed 2,102,535 kW of glazed solar thermal collectors last year, an increase of 47% over 2005.

The continent now has 13,453,805 kW of thermal capacity installed, according to the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation in its latest market statistics for the 27 EU member states and Switzerland. Market development last year “exceeded expectations and solar thermal heating and cooling has clearly grown out of being a niche market.”

“We are seeing growth across Europe,” says ESTIF president Gerhard Rabensteiner. “France is continuing its breathtaking growth that started in 2000; in Germany, new installations increased by 58% last year; even markets such as the UK and Ireland have finally woken up.”

Source -refocus-