Dear Sir/Madam

After several years of promotion by ESTIF it was rewarding to see the new Renewable Energy Directive which was agreed in December 2008.  This directive is of strategic importance for the Renewable Energy Industry as it addresses, for the first time, renewable energies in the heating and cooling sector.  It offers great opportunities for the solar thermal industry and should show the way to the rest of the world for achieving sustainable energy goals.

The future is bright for Solar Thermal and our long term objective is for 50% of the heat demand to be covered by solar thermal energy. Already in some countries solar thermal domestic water heating has become the norm and solar energy for space heating is gaining widespread acceptance.  New research projects are currently under way for the development of exciting applications such as Solar combi-systems using compact seasonal storage and higher temperature collectors for industrial applications and solar cooling.

ESTIF is the voice of Solar Thermal in Europe, developing strategies to drive the EU towards achieving its target of 20% of energy from renewable sources by 2020. ESTIF is recognised by policy makers and media as the representation of our industry and has liaison status with the European Committee for Standardisation for the purpose of solar thermal standards.

If your company or organisation is not yet a member of ESTIF, I invite you to join ESTIF today. Together we will make our vision come true: 50% of the heating and cooling in Europe to be provided by solar thermal energy.

Olivier Drücke
ESTIF President