An Assessment of the Prospects for Solar Thermal Application in Europe

Summary

This paper describes the results of a study carried out in 1982/83 to assess the prospects for solar thermal applications in Europe up to the year 2020. The study addressed itself to the current state of solar technology both in terms of cost and performance, to the potential applications in domestic and non domestic buildings and to the likely energy savings resulting from significant market penetration in the future. The purpose of the study was to draw together the practical conclusions drawn so far in solar thermal research and development and to establish the priorities for future R & D in this area. The main conclusion was that most of the basic research has now been done and its technical viability has been established. In particular passive solar space heating appears to be a cost effective technology in northern Europe, and solar water heating also shows considerable promise. Active solar space heating systems are awaiting significant performance improvement and cost reduction before they can be taken up in the market place, although various second generation systems show encouraging results. In terms of future energy saving the study has shown that solar thermal energy could make a significant contribution to Europe’s primary energy needs in the medium to long term, providing in excess of 50 million tonnes of oil equivalent per annum by the year 2020.