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Key Findings from Solar Heat Worldwide 2022

Solar thermal market grows during uncertain times

Despite the continued impact of the pandemic, the solar thermal market saw 3% growth in 2021 after seven years of market declines.

Italy experienced a phenomenal 83% growth last year, driven by increased construction activities combined with a new tax reduction scheme, the "Superbonus" for energy-efficient buildings. Demand in Brazil (+29%) and the United States (+19%) rose as people spent more time at home during the pandemic and invested in solar pool heating solutions. Sales for commercial clients in Brazil also increased due to growth in the construction sector and rising electricity prices caused by power shortages.

Leading markets for solar thermal solutions

Solar thermal heating and cooling systems serve millions of residential, commercial, and industrial customers worldwide with a wide variety of technologies. Below are the top three countries for different market segments.

PV-Thermal market on the rise

PV-Thermal systems – generating both solar heat and solar electricity – with their advantage of system design flexibility continue to gain popularity across the globe. Today, 1.4 million m2 (751 MWth, 254 MWpeak) of PVT collector area is in operation. In 2021 global capacity grew 13%, building on the steady 9% growth between 2017 and 2020. France, South Korea, China, and Germany are leading this upward trend.

Domestic hot water systems dominate the market

109 million solar thermal systems were in operation by the end of 2020. Solar hot water systems for single and multi-family houses, tourism, and public buildings remained the dominant application, with an 86% share of new solar thermal installations in 2020.