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The European Solar Prizes are a series of awards which have been given annually since 1994 by the European Association for Renewable Energy (EUROSOLAR) located in Bonn, Germany. [1] The prizes are awarded to individuals or organizations for outstanding contributions to the utilization and applications of renewable energy in all its available forms. [2]
The competition for the European Solar Prizes is run concurrently in several European countries, through the different EUROSOLAR section members. All winners of the European Solar Prizes are selected from the entrants for the national Solar Prizes in each country and from the applications directly received at EUROSOLAR Germany.[ citation needed ]
The entrants for the national Solar Prizes are selected in the following European countries:
The European Solar Prizes are presented in the following categories:
Renewable energy plays an important and growing role in the energy system of the European Union. The Europe 2020 strategy included a target of reaching 20% of gross final energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020, and at least 32% by 2030. The EU27 reached 22% in 2020, up from 9.6% in 2004. These figures are based on energy use in all its forms across all three main sectors, the heating and cooling sector, the electricity sector, and the transport sector.
Many countries and territories have installed significant solar power capacity into their electrical grids to supplement or provide an alternative to conventional energy sources. Solar power plants use one of two technologies:
Renewable energy in Germany is mainly based on wind and biomass, plus solar and hydro. Germany had the world's largest photovoltaic installed capacity until 2014, and as of 2021 it has over 58 GW. It is also the world's third country by installed total wind power capacity, 64 GW in 2021 and second for offshore wind, with over 7 GW. Germany has been called "the world's first major renewable energy economy".
Solar power is a fast-growing industry in Australia. As of December 2022, Australia's over 3.36 million solar PV installations had a combined capacity of 29,683 MW photovoltaic (PV) solar power, of which at least 3,922 MW were installed in the preceding 12 months. In 2019, 59 solar PV projects with a combined capacity of 2,881 MW were either under construction, constructed or due to start construction having reached financial closure. Solar accounted for 12.4% of Australia's total electrical energy production in 2021.
Hermann Scheer was a Social Democrat member of the German Bundestag (parliament), President of Eurosolar and General Chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy. In 1999, Scheer was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for his "indefatigable work for the promotion of solar energy worldwide".
Hans-Josef Fell was a member of the German Parliamentary Group Alliance 90/ the Greens from 1998 to 2013. He served as spokesman on energy for the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group, a member of the Environmental Protection Committee, substitute member of the Committee on Economics and Technology and substitute member of the Defence Committee. Together with Hermann Scheer, he authored the 2000 draft of the Renewable Energy Sources Act, establishing the foundation for the technology developments in photovoltaic, biogas, wind power and geothermal energy in Germany. Fell is founder and president of the Energy Watch Group and an internationally renowned energy and climate change advisor, author and speaker.
Solar power consists of photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal energy in the European Union.
Preben Maegaard, was a Danish renewable energy pioneer, author and expert. Since the oil crisis in 1974 he worked for the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Preben Maegaard was co-founder of the Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy, established in 1983, and its director 1984 till 2013 (www.folkecenter.net).
Martin Vosseler was a Swiss renewable energy advocate, co-founder of the organization Physicians for Social Responsibility, who has been a renewable energy advocate since 1981. After giving up his medical practice in 1995, he began working full-time to raise awareness of the benefits of renewable energy use, by traveling around the world. From 16 October 2006 to 8 May 2007, Vosseler and his crew made history by completing the first trans-Atlantic crossing in a motorized boat, using solar power only. Vosseler received a special prize from Eurosolar.
Joachim Luther received his PhD in experimental physics at the Leibniz University Hannover in 1970.
Between 1992 and 2022, the worldwide usage of photovoltaics (PV) increased exponentially. During this period, it evolved from a niche market of small-scale applications to a mainstream electricity source.
Eurosolar - European Association for Renewable Energies is a German association with headquarters in Bonn. The association has sections in 13 countries.
The International Hydropower Association (IHA) is a non-profit, international organisation and membership association representing the global hydropower sector.
Rolf Disch is a German architect, solar energy pioneer and environmental activist. Born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, Disch has dedicated particular focus to regional renewable and sustainable energy.
WREN is a major non-profit organization registered in the United Kingdom with charitable status and affiliated to UNESCO, the Deputy Director General of which is its honorary President. It has a Governing Council, an Executive Committee and a Director General. It maintains links with many United Nations, governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Ursula Sladek owns a small local power company, Schönau Power Supply, located in Schönau im Schwarzwald, Germany, that provides electricity from renewable energy sources to the German electricity grid. Her company "gets much of its energy from small local energy producers, including a handful of hydropower operations, solar panels, some wind turbines, and about 20 washing-machine-size co-generation plants in people’s homes that produce both heat for the home and electricity for the grid". Sladek has also been interested in finding ways of rendering nuclear power unnecessary in Germany: Sladek won a Goldman Environmental Prize in 2011.
Louis Palmer is a Swiss keynote speaker, global environmental adventurer, and "Solar Pioneer".
Jochen Wermuth is a German investor, who serves on the steering committees of the "100% Impact" family office network and the "Europeans for DivestInvest" investor association. He is the founder and Chief Investment Officer of Wermuth Asset Management, a German family office and investment advisory firm committed to sustainable investments. As of June 2017, he is also a member of the investment committee for the EUR 24 billion Energy Transition Fund (Atommüllentsorgungsfonds).
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organization mandated to facilitate cooperation, advance knowledge, and promote the adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy. It is the first international organisation to focus exclusively on renewable energy, addressing needs in both industrialised and developing countries. It was founded in 2009 and its statute entered into force on 8 July 2010. The agency is headquartered in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. The Director-General of IRENA is Francesco La Camera, a national of Italy. IRENA is an official United Nations observer.
Neela Winkelmann-Heyrovská is a Czech academic, environmental activist and government official. She was the founder and first managing director of the Platform of European Memory and Conscience, an educational project of the European Union bringing together government institutions and NGOs from countries of Europe and North America active in research, documentation, awareness raising and education about the crimes of totalitarian regimes, in 2011-2018.