TY - JOUR

T1 - Solar Thermal in the Nordics. A Belated Boom for All or Not?

AU - Graell, Gemma Graugés

AU - Xydis, George

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022. the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

PY - 2022/3

Y1 - 2022/3

N2 - In this work, the use of solar thermal energy in the Nordic Countries, especially in Denmark, is studied. Renewable energies, such as solar, are an important ally in the fight against Climate Change, with more countries betting on them. In the past, it may have been believed that the Nordic Region does not have enough solar radiation for solar energy to be profitable, but changes in the climate and technology have proven this statement to be wrong. The case of Denmark is a clear example, which has become a leading country when it comes to solar thermal energy. A study of the current Danish solar thermal market is conducted in this project in order to understand how this country is making the most out of this energy source. Three different plants are studied (Silkeborg, Vollerup and Gråsten) and compared to those of other Nordic Countries (Akershus from Norway and Hämeenlinna from Finland). It was found that the main difference between them is the size of the Photovoltaic (PV) parks. Whilst Denmark specialised in large-scale plants with a two-phase building process, the other countries are only using small-scale installations. After a deeper understanding of the Danish energy market, it is concluded that there is a solar thermal energy policy that allows its exploitation. Furthermore, an increase in the level of solar radiation in Denmark over the last decade has led Danish experts to believe that solar energy in the Nordic Countries is going to be even more profitable in the following years.

AB - In this work, the use of solar thermal energy in the Nordic Countries, especially in Denmark, is studied. Renewable energies, such as solar, are an important ally in the fight against Climate Change, with more countries betting on them. In the past, it may have been believed that the Nordic Region does not have enough solar radiation for solar energy to be profitable, but changes in the climate and technology have proven this statement to be wrong. The case of Denmark is a clear example, which has become a leading country when it comes to solar thermal energy. A study of the current Danish solar thermal market is conducted in this project in order to understand how this country is making the most out of this energy source. Three different plants are studied (Silkeborg, Vollerup and Gråsten) and compared to those of other Nordic Countries (Akershus from Norway and Hämeenlinna from Finland). It was found that the main difference between them is the size of the Photovoltaic (PV) parks. Whilst Denmark specialised in large-scale plants with a two-phase building process, the other countries are only using small-scale installations. After a deeper understanding of the Danish energy market, it is concluded that there is a solar thermal energy policy that allows its exploitation. Furthermore, an increase in the level of solar radiation in Denmark over the last decade has led Danish experts to believe that solar energy in the Nordic Countries is going to be even more profitable in the following years.

KW - Nordic countries

KW - Satellite images

KW - Solar thermal

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85135034256&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3934/energy.2022005

DO - 10.3934/energy.2022005

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85135034256

VL - 10

SP - 69

EP - 86

JO - AIMS Energy

JF - AIMS Energy

SN - 2333-8326

IS - 1

ER -