Estif Releases 2012 Market Statistics about Solar Thermal Energy

摘要

The latest statistics by the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (Estif) show that solar thermal is now contributing an estimated 20 TWh(th) to the thermal energy used in the European Union, with a total installed capacity adding up to 28.3 GW(th). However, the latest European Commission's »Renewable energy progress report« indicates that current and planned policy initiatives are faltering and solar thermal may fall short of the 2020 target by 55%. Although the European solar thermal installed capacity more than trebled over the past decade; the newly installed capacity in 2012 was lower than in the previous year, amounting to 2.41 GW(th). Even in this difficult economic climate, the solar thermal industry still represented a combined turnover of €2.4 billion in 2012, supporting 32,000 full time equivalent jobs.