Perhaps you are asking yourself what is meant with 'solar energy'. Or why we need to develop projects like the Solar Europe Initiative. We hope the answers below provide a good starting point.

What is solar energy?

When you find the words solar energy in the media or on the Internet (like this Internet site), it usually refers to the use of the sun's energy.
Mankind is capable of using a large part of the sun's energy to provide in heat, in hot water and in power. This could be done by using for example photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, or greenhouses to capture the sun's heat indoors. But it could also be done by heating water to have a hot shower, to clean, to do the dishes or to heat your office or house by means of solar collectors. The Soltherm Europe Initiative is about stimulating the use of these solar collectors. Read more on solar energy.

What is a Solar Water Heater (SWH)?

Essentially a SWH uses the sun to heat water in collectors mounted on a roof or some raised, south-facing area. The heated water is then stored in a tank not unlike a conventional electric or gas water heater tank.

A SWH can operate in a wide variety of climates, even those of North Europe! The amount of water heated is dependent upon the climate. And in addition to SWH’s being an environmentally sound choice (SWH systems reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses for heating your water compared to conventional methods), they can be quite cost effective when compared to your monthly energy bill.

Why solar energy?

Why would we be working on increasing the use of solar energy? Well, there are basically two reasons for this. First, the use of so called fossil fuels, like coal, oil and natural gas causes the emissions of large quantities of carbon dioxide. Once in our atmosphere, the presence of this carbon dioxide causes changes in our climate and thus in our living environment. Second, these fossil resources are limited. Alternatives, like solar energy, need to be found and developed to provide for our current and future needs of energy. In your country, there are probably programs for the use of solar energy and other forms of renewable energy. For EU countries, read more here.