2j7YOwO

n Latin America: Biomass-based heat accounts for almost a
third of industrial heat production in Latin America. 190 Solar
thermal markets are growing in Brazil’s residential sector,
where demand for domestic hot water is accompanied by
a lack of sufficient gas infrastructure and an over-burdened
electric grid, and the technology is supported by social
housing programmes. 191 In Mexico, solar thermal installations
increased 8% in 2015, thanks in part to mandates at the
state and city level. 192 Several countries throughout the
region – including Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico and
Uruguay – are working together to implement standards
for solar hot water equipment that would support market
development. 193
There are important differences in renewable heating trends at
the regional level:
n Asia: China continued to lead the world in installed capacity
of solar thermal, geothermal and biogas-fuelled heating
systems in 2015. The country saw declining investment in solar
thermal collectors for the second consecutive year, although
demand increased in some market segments (e.g., multifamily
residences). 178 Elsewhere in Asia, modern biomass for
residential heat markets has grown, especially in Japan and the
Republic of Korea, where strict efficiency requirements have
influenced the development of globally competitive biomass
boilers. 179 Some Asian countries, such as India, continued
to use substantial shares of bioenergy for heat production
in industry. 180 Renewable energy use in clean cook stoves –
dominated by biogas – also has been on the rise, in particular
in China and India and to a lesser extent in Bangladesh and
Cambodia. 181
n Europe: Renewable energy accounted for an estimated 18%
of the EU’s total heating and cooling consumption; in industry,
the overall share was 13%. 182 Europe has experienced the
strongest growth in renewable energy use for heat of any
region, with average annual increases of almost 5% since
2008. 183 Nonetheless, market growth slowed in 2015 due to
the economic crisis, a downturn in the building sector and
low oil prices. 184 Despite the slowdown for some renewable
heat technologies, residential-scale biomass boilers began to
show signs of recovery in 2015, and geothermal-based district
heat has expanded, especially where resources are optimal
and where building construction has continued – as in Paris,
Munich (Germany) and Gyor (Hungary). 185 The market for heat
pumps has continued to grow, especially in France and Finland
(both with supportive government policies) and in Poland. 186
n North America: Renewable energy accounted for roughly
13% of final energy for heat in North America. Much of this
was used in industry: in the United States, biomass contributes
approximately 17% of industrial heat production. 187 Growth rates
in renewable energy use for heat have been comparatively slow
(0.6%), due in part to reduced industrial output. 188 Residential
heating with wood pellets declined in 2015 as low oil prices
reduced the cost-competitiveness of renewable heat, and solar
thermal markets also continued to stall. 189
n Africa: Biomass supplies a substantial share (roughly a
third) of Africa’s industrial-based heat. 194 South Africa’s solar
thermal market has grown relatively quickly, although it
dropped in 2015 due to a delay in government tenders linked
to an improved solar hot water programme. 195 During the
year Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe formulated new
policies to support solar hot water. 196 Countries in the Great
Rift Valley, where there are significant geothermal resources
(as in Kenya), have begun to tap direct geothermal heat for
use in greenhouses, for example (as well as for electricity). 197
Clean cook stoves, many of which use biogas as a source, are
used increasingly in Africa, notably in Ethiopia, Kenya and, to a
lesser extent, in Nigeria and Rwanda. 198
n Middle East: Counter to global trends, solar thermal markets
grew in the Middle East during 2015. 199 Oman, for example,
announced plans to host the world’s largest solar thermal
facility (>1 GW), which will produce steam for the oil industry. 200
In addition, mandatory green building certifications (in the
United Arab Emirates, for example) have helped spur solar
cooling markets in the region. 201
In 2015, several trends continued that facilitate increases in
renewable energy in the heating and cooling sector: the number
of net-zero-energy buildings continued to rise, and improvements
continued in the efficiency of industrial processes, building
materials and heating and cooling systems. (p See Energy
Efficiency chapter.) In addition, although policies supporting
energy efficiency and renewable energy generally are treated as
separate policy pillars, there were examples in 2015 of policies
that worked towards their integration. Notable are the EU
labelling requirements for heating devices, which permit only
those space and water heating systems that include renewable
energy to achieve the best efficiency class rating. 202
The expansion of district heating systems also may provide
increased opportunities for renewable heating. The year 2015 saw
an increasing use of solar heat for district heating systems, in both
new and expanded systems, with Denmark (which now supplies
53% of its heat in district heating systems with renewables, waste
incineration or industrial surplus heat) as an especially noteworthy
mover. 203 There also were a number of announcements to
expand or develop biomass- and geothermal-based district
heating systems – for example, in Scotland (biomass), Sweden
(biomass) and France (geothermal). 204 In China’s Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region, progress continued on the implementation
of a district heating system that will be powered by surplus wind
energy. 205
01
RENEWABLES 2016 · GLOBAL STATUS REPORT
37