Europe Uses the Sun’s Energy
After its official commitment to promote renewable energies in the heating sector, the EU is now setting a good example. At its parliamentary headquarters in Brussels, a solar system for hot water is being installed. The system comes from Austrian manufacturer TiSUN. Solar panels with an overall absorption surface of 28.8 m² are being erected on the parliament building “D-4” in Rue de Trèves. In future, they will supply the energy for hot water in the building’s 54 shower cubicles. “The capacity is sufficient for 79 shower cubicles, in case the EU enlarges and other countries join,” adds Robin Welling, TiSUN® Managing Director.
The collectors supply about 63 % of the required energy, thereby reducing the EU Parliament’s CO² emissions by nearly 4.5 tons annually and saving about 22,300 kWh of electricity. “Europe has recognized the wave of the future and is off and running in an effort to partially replace conflict prone, unsecure and expensive fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas,” explains Austrian parliamentarian Dr.
Richard Seeber. The system will begin operation in the near future.
From 2007, the Parliament will have an additional solar system. “It will supply the parliament restaurant with hot water. Each and every day about 1500 people eat there,” reports Wim Persoons, from the Sanutal Co., the exclusive distributor of TiSUN® in Belgium.
High-Tech-System
“On the EU Parliament’s roof, the most modern state-of-the-art technology is being used,” relates Robin Welling. The roof collectors provide the energy for three ProClean® stratified hot water storage tanks, each with a capacity of 500 litres. The thermal stratifying solar heat exchanger enables efficient stratified accumulation in the storage unit in the shortest possible time. A stainless steel corrugated pipe
provides hygienic and bacteria-free water for domestic use. “A unique compact solar system with a 100% solar efficiency,” assures Welling.
The EU leads by example
For ESTIF, the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation, the installation of this system sets an example of what should be included on all newly-built and renovated properties. The shift from the era of fossil fuels and nuclear energy to the era of renewable energy is proceeding at an ever faster pace. ESTIF Secretary General Uwe Brechlin reports: “Heating and cooling with renewable energies can
be achieved anywhere in Europe, even in Brussels, where it rains so often. Europe recognizes and is taking advantage of the benefits of solar heating - such as environmental friendliness and reliability.” In addition to this, the solar industry is a genuine engine for creating new work: it provides local jobs and retains the net worth within the region.
Europe’s solar thermal sector currently provides jobs for about 20,000 people and generates an annual net value of about a billion Euros. More than a million families already enjoy the benefits of solar energy, both for space (central) heating and water heating. In 2006, it is estimated that more than 2 million m2 of new collector surfaces will be installed, creating a capacity of about 1400 MWth. Three quarters of
the EU’s market is presently concentrated in three countries: Austria (12%), Greece (14%) and Germany (47%). If the entire EU had the same per capita solar growth as Austria, about 7000 MWth of new capacity would go into operation each year in Europe.
In order for solar thermal, biomass heat and geothermal to continue to grow in the EU, according to Brechlin, ambitious political goals are necessary as well as stable and steady support measures. By the end of this year, EU Energy Commissioner Piebalgs intends to present a legislative proposal to support renewable heating and cooling. “The directive will make sure that all EU countries participate to the same extent in this important future strategy, namely, to replace fossil fuels and nuclear energy also in the heating/cooling sector as quickly as possible with unlimited renewable energy,” concludes Brechlin