IEA SHC Publishes 2016 Report on Solar Heating and Cooling
Growth seen in large-scale solar thermal systems and solar heat in industrial processes
CLIFTON HILL, Australia — The International Energy Agency, Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (IEA SHC) released the 2016 edition of its report on the global status of the solar thermal heating and cooling market. As the 2014 solar thermal market felt the impact of slowing markets in China and Europe, the largest world markets, growth was seen in two important areas — large-scale solar thermal systems and solar heat in industrial processes. And, solar heating and cooling still remains by far the solar technology with the largest total capacity (435 GWth) compared to PV (227 GWth) and solar thermal power (5 GWth).
“It’s important to remember that 47 percent of the world’s energy demand is for heating,” said Ken Guthrie, chairman of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Technology Collaboration Programme, “so the huge potential for solar heating and cooling will continue to expand as already seen with many large-scale applications, solar district heating, solar heat in industrial processes, and solar cooling.”