Emerging Trends in Industrial Solar Heat Generation Worldwide 2024

According to the freshly published report from Solrico, a consulting firm that prides itself on specialising in solar thermal energy, there has been a substantial uptick in the implementation of solar heat generation applications in the industrial sector in 2024 as compared to the preceding year. The report suggests 106 new systems, boasting a solar thermal capacity of 120 MW, were added, marking a surge of over 20% relative to 2023. Owing majorly to a standalone facility, China was the key player with 85 MW, accounting for most of the fresh installations. In Handan, operation commenced at an 80 MW industrial plant responsible for powering, among other things, snow production for a tourism resort.

In the global ranking, Germany followed China with a noteworthy 21 MW, ahead of the Netherlands, Austria, and Mexico. All in all, twenty countries saw the uprise of these new installations.

Nations Leading in Solar Thermal Initiatives

When it comes to the count of projects, the Netherlands and Mexico were in the lead, with 24 and 22 new systems respectively. However, the overall number of projects decreased from 116 to 106, an observation that Solrico attributes to the evolving dynamics of the Netherlands' agricultural sector, which has noted declining incentives. In 2023, the Netherlands had executed a total of 43 projects.

Germany: Harnessing Solar Heat for Agricultural Drying and Beyond

Mexico currently holds the record for the most SHIP systems worldwide with an impressive 200 installations, trailed by the Netherlands and China with 128 and 127 systems each. However, the data from China may not be fully representative due to the prevalent practice of large Chinese collector manufacturers supplying materials to construction sites managed by local companies. This often leaves suppliers unaware of how their customers leverage the solar heat.

In Germany, the majority of the new facilities were utilised for drying agricultural products. Although from the beginning of 2024, this application ceased to receive state support fostering a shift in investment decisions, as reported by a German air collector supplier. While manufacturers of air collectors managed to operationalise some installations under funding agreements from the previous year, a market decline is likely foreseen.

France: Modest Solar Thermal Advancements in Agriculture

In contrast, France saw a marginal activation of small agricultural facilities last year. It’s well-established funding programme, Fonds Chaleur, primarily supported devices in multi-family housing and hospitality sector, excluding industrial and agricultural customers. Despite an abundance of positive incentives from previous years, planning and implementation tend to take longer, leaving 2024 absent of any major installations. By the end of the year, according to the grant administrator ADEME, only a 4.2 MW facility for greenhouse heating was underway.

Technological Shifts in Solar Thermal Energy Sector

In terms of technology, two-thirds of new installations–largely due to the large China project–fell under the scope of parabolic trough collectors. Established collectors and vacuum tube collectors claimed 22% and 5% respectively.