Promoting Multi-family and Commercial Solar Thermal Systems: A French Initiative

For decades, France has been manufacturing and exporting solar thermal products, thus feeding most of the demand on its market, which experienced a strong growth between 2005 and 2012. In 2009, the SOCOL initiative was created in order to tackle identified weaknesses on the market: need for improvement on professional qualifications, lack of available technical information and specific guidance, importance of promoting and accompanying its development and innovations. With a now declining market, SOCOL has to meet an even greater purpose in leading the way to recovery.