After considerable early market success in Greece and Austria during the 1980s, Germany began to set the pace of the European solar heating market in the 1990s. Since 2000, the active German market and the accompanying

professionalisation of the solar industry have motivated neighbouring European countries to grasp the benefits of solar technology on a large-scale basis.

Statistics show that for every five Austrians today, 1 m² surface area of solar panels has been installed. The same holds true only for every 20 Germans and every 200 French citizens. These statistics show how much still needs to be accomplished in the solar heating industry. Rising energy prices and increasing climate control both point to a huge growth potential, which with the right strategy, can be efficiently capitalised upon. A key factor in this process will be industrially produced absorbers and collectors.

Small solar water heating systems make up a majority of the market today, but larger solar heating systems are quickly gaining ground. Various applications used in solar heating demand systems which are customised to specific requirements as well as specifically optimised collector constructions. In the future, success on the market will reflect both quality and competitive pricing.