New opportunities for using solar energy in Lithuanian disctrict heating companies

Energy production using renewable energy sources is one of the main priorities in EU energy policy. Exhaustive analysis on district heating systems using solar energy was made in few EU countries (Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Austria) and main results are presented in this paper. Furthermore, paper provides evaluation of Lithuania possibilities to develop projects for using solar energy in district heating systems in line with sustainable design principles and implementation of advanced solar district heating (SDH) technologies. In order to encourage the development of solar energy usage in DH, we provide new SDH business models and strategies which open new opportunities for heat suppliers and other market players. This transformation contributes to the growth of SDH market. Despite the fact that intensity of solar radiation in Lithuania is somewhat lower than in Southern Europe, the experience of Scandinavian countries show that even in this climatic zone solar heating can be an viable alternative for fossil fuels and match well with usage of biomass recourses and saves them.