Brussels,
9th February 2023 – In light of the Special European Council addressing
the Commission’s proposal for a Green Deal Industrial Plan, the Solar
Heating & Cooling sector calls on the European Commission and the
Member States to ensure a level playing field among all renewables in
line with the principle of fair competition.
A level playing field for all EU net-zero industries
With
several countries introducing subsidies to support the manufacturing of
clean technologies, EU response must clearly cover all EU net-zero
industrial sectors, ensuring fair competition among all renewable
technologies. Failing to do so would have dramatic negative impacts on
Europe’s economy and risk already existing EU-based jobs in competitive
net-zero industrial sectors, undermining EU’s ambitious climate and
energy objectives.
“As
the global race to subsidise clean technologies is pressuring the EU to
intervene, policymakers cannot give up fair competition, the founding
principle of the Single Market. The Green Deal Industrial Plan must
support all renewables, in line with the principle of fair competition,
especially those with a strong European industrial base such as solar
heating and cooling” says Costas Travasaros, President of Solar Heat Europe.
EU response must strengthen EU-based net-zero sectors. While
the Commission focuses on sectors where the EU faces stronger global
competition, net-zero industrial sectors that are well-established in
Europe, such as solar heating and cooling, are at risk due to political
inattention.
Solar heat: an EU-based net-zero industrial sector - A growing market supporting energy security and decarbonisation:
With 40 GWth of installed capacity by 2021[1],
solar heat makes a vital contribution to Europe’s decarbonisation,
energy security and affordability. By 2030, it can reach 140 GWth[2], in line with the Commission’s target to triple solar thermal capacity set in the EU Solar Energy Strategy. The
solar thermal industry has a well-established manufacturing capacity in
Europe, holding technology sovereignty and providing over 18.000 direct
jobs. Besides supplying the majority of the European demand, it has a
positive trade balance, with a surplus of hundreds of millions of euros
yearly. - Small- and large-scale applications:
With
over 10 million installations, solar heat represents a long-established
solution in the residential sector and in recent years is experiencing
an impressive growth also in large-scale applications for district
heating and industrial processes. Solar thermal large-scale systems are
growing in number and size, with several plants over 20 MWth being built in different parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands, Croatia, or Spain. - Largest storage capacity among all renewables:
More
than 20 million EU citizens already benefit from energy storage, a
default element of their solar thermal installation. In 2021, the
thermal energy storage (TES) capacity of the solar thermal systems
installed in Europe amounted to 190 GWh, offering an enormous potential
for demand-side flexibility and sector integration.
[1] EurObservER_2022_Solar_and_CSP_Baro_EN-20220705.pdf |
