Based on 2010 data, Germany, with around 31 % of newly installed collector surface area, is Europe’s market leader (EU 27 and Switzerland).  Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, France and Greece together represented around 74 % of the European market at the end of 2010.

In 2010, the German market for solar thermal energy systems reported a decline of almost 29 % compared to the previous year due to lower prices for fossil energy sources and a temporary suspension or reduction of subsidies and incentive programmes for the development of renewable energies for supplying buildings with energy in the heat sector.

By the end of 2010, around 1.5 million solar heating systems were installed on German roofs (2009: ca. 1.4 million), with a cumulative collector surface area of around 14 million square metres (2009: ca. 12.9 m²). The contribution of solar thermal energy systems to the heat supply is still at less than one percent in Germany. In 2010 the German solar thermal energy industry’s turnover was approximately 1 billion euros (2009: approx. 1.5 billion euros). The industry currently employs around 20,000 people.