Solar District Heating and Cooling

Magazine article, 2007

Large-scale solar heating (and cooling) may be an interesting option in future district heating in Europe. A comprehensive policy scenario may result in 1% of district heat from solar heat in 2020, i.e. 20 PJ (5,6 TWh) and at least 5% in the long term, i.e. 100 PJ (28 TWh). The majority of large-scale solar applications are installed in block and district heating systems, but there are now also an increasing number of solar cooling plants. The article presents the present status of large-scale solar thermal applications within the European Solar Thermal Technology Platform (ESTTP).