SOLAR COLLECTOR TUBE MARKET SIZE AND SHARE ANALYSIS - GROWTH TRENDS AND FORECASTS (2023 - 2030)

The solar collector tube market size is expected to reach US$ 8.07 Bn by 2030, from US$ 4.56 Bn in 2023, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% during the forecast period.

Solar collector tubes are vacuum tubes that absorb and retain heat from the sun. These are used in solar thermal collectors to convert sunlight into heat energy, which can be used for water heating, space heating, process heat, solar cooling, and power generation. The evacuated tube design provides superior insulation, thus allowing the tubes to reach high temperatures even in cold weather. The key advantages of solar collector tubes include high efficiency, low heat loss, and the ability to work in diffuse light conditions. The major drivers for the market include government incentives, growing environmental awareness, advancements leading to cost reductions, and the rising demand for energy-efficient heating solutions.

The solar collector tube market is segmented into type, end user, system type, application, and region. By type, the market is segmented into U-shaped tubes, heat pipes, evacuated tubes, flat plates, air collectors, and others. Evacuated tubes are the largest segment, accounting for over 40% of the market share in 2022. This is due to their higher efficiency compared to flat plate collectors.

Solar Collector Tube Market Regional Insights

• North America is expected to be the largest market for solar collector tube market during the forecast period, accounting for over 53% of the market share in 2023. The growth of the market in North America is due to favorable government policies, growing adoption of solar thermal technology, and increasing investments in renewable energy.
• The Europe market is expected to be the second-largest market for solar collector tube market, accounting for over 21% of the market share in 2023. The growth of the market in Europe is due to strict emission control policies and targets to increase the share of renewable energy.
• The Asia Pacific market is expected to be the fastest-growing market for solar collector tube market, with a CAGR of over 11% during the forecast period. The growth of the market in Asia Pacific is due to rapid urbanization, growing infrastructure development, and decreasing costs of solar collector tubes.

Figure 1. Global Solar Collector Tube Market Share (%), by Region, 2023 

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Solar Collector Tube Market Drivers

• Supportive government policies and incentives promoting renewable energy: Governments across the globe are implementing policies, regulations, and incentives to drive the adoption of renewable energy sources including solar thermal technology. Initiatives like renewable heat incentives, zero/low interest loans, tax rebates, and renewable energy targets are encouraging the installation of solar water heating and space heating systems which utilize collector tubes. For instance, the European Union (EU) Renewable Energy Directive sets a binding target of 20% final energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. The U.S. offers a 30% federal tax credit for solar water heaters. Such measures are expected to boost the solar collector market.
• Technology advancements leading to higher efficiency and lower costs: Ongoing advancements in materials, coatings, heat transfer mechanisms, and manufacturing processes are enhancing the efficiency of solar collector tubes while reducing costs. For example, the development of selective surface coatings with high solar absorptivity and low thermal emissivity has improved collector efficiency. Manufacturers are focusing on vacuum optimization in evacuated tubes to minimize convection and conduction heat losses. These technology enhancements are increasing the cost-competitiveness and performance of solar collector tubes, propelling market growth.
• Growing adoption of solar heating for residential, commercial and industrial applications: Growing awareness regarding renewable energy and need for energy-efficient, eco-friendly heating solutions is driving the adoption of solar collector tubes across the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Residential installations of solar water heaters utilize collector tubes for domestic hot water needs and pool heating. The commercial segment includes collector tube applications in hotels, hospitals, and educational institutions. Industries are using large collector arrays for process heat and preheating boiler feedwater. The broad usage across sectors is fueling the growth of the collector tubes market.
• Supportive regulatory norms mandating renewable energy use in buildings: The implementation of building codes and standards making the integration of solar water heating systems mandatory or preferential in new and existing buildings is providing an impetus to the collector tube market. For instance, all new buildings constructed in Israel require solar water heating. Spain mandates solar coverage of 30-70% of hot water needs in new buildings. Such regulations are creating strong demand growth scenarios for solar collector tubes globally.

Solar Collector Tube Market Opportunities

• Integration with thermal energy storage systems: Collector tubes combined with thermal energy storage systems provide a promising opportunity to address intermittency, a key drawback of solar thermal technologies. Thermal energy storage enables available solar heat to be stored for later use. For instance, solar collector tubes can be coupled with pit or borehole thermal storage for seasonal storage and continuous utilization of solar heat. Such integrated systems allow extension of collector tube applications beyond basic water heating into process heat and air conditioning.
• Emergence of solar district heating (SDH) plants: Growing development of centralized solar district heating networks for residential and commercial heating applications presents an attractive opportunity for the solar collector market. These systems utilize large-scale collector arrays to provide hot water and space heating on community scale. Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Austria have been frontrunners in establishing SDH plants. China aims to reach 800 million m2 installed solar collector area for SDH by 2030, thus signaling massive potential. Collector tubes are essential components in such plants.
• Integration in combined heat and power (CHP) systems: Solar collectors can be integrated in combined heat and power plants that produce both electricity and usable heat from the same fuel source, thereby improving overall efficiency. Collector tubes find application in solar-boosted CHP plants to preheat water before entering the CHP system. China, Denmark, and Germany have pioneered solar CHP demonstration plants. With growing interest in solar-assisted CHP, the collector tube market is slated for high growth. For instances, in 2023, according to a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), solar district heating applications are expected to grow rapidly in the next 5 years across regions like Europe, China and India. IRENA predicts solar thermal technologies like solar collector tubes, which will play an important role in hybridizing district heating networks with renewable energy.
• Potential use in solar cooling technologies: An emerging application for collector tubes lies in solar thermal cooling systems which produce chilled water for air-conditioning using solar energy. Collector tubes provide heat to drive thermally-driven chillers in these systems. Though current adoption is limited, research and development (R&D) focused on improving collector efficiency, integration, and cost-reduction is expected to create attractive avenues in solar thermal cooling. This will provide new growth prospects to collector tube.

Solar Collector Tube Market Trends 

• Growing adoption of evacuated tubes over flat plate collectors: Evacuated tube solar collectors are displacing flat plate collectors and gaining increasing market share. In 2020, evacuated tubes accounted for over 80% of the global solar thermal market. Their higher efficiency, ability to work in cold climates, diffuse light acceptance and longer life makes them suitable for domestic and industrial process heat generation. Manufacturing innovations enabling lower production costs also favor uptake.
• Emergence of next-generation heat pipe evacuated tube designs: Cutting-edge heat pipe and vacuum tube designs are enabling new high-temperature and high-efficiency collector models targeted at industrial process heat applications. For instance, Apricus has developed solar collectors with flexible advanced heat pipes that can operate at 400°C. TVP Solar’s new generation evacuated tubes attain 95% efficiency in converting solar radiation into heat, thereby promising more cost-effective and clean process heat.
• Growing demand for building-integrated collectors: Architectural integration of solar thermal systems is gaining prominence, driven by aesthetics and space constraints. Building-integrated collectors such as solar glass facades are thus rising in popularity. Europe is at the forefront where over 75% of newly installed collectors feature building integration. Top manufacturers provide dedicated solar glass facades, windows, cladding and roofing integrated with collector tubes. For instances, the U.S. Department of Energy reported a 26% rise in building-integrated solar collector permits issued in California, U.S. municipalities between 2020 and 2021, indicating the technology is gaining broader acceptance.
• Emergence of solar thermal for medium-temperature industrial applications: Historically solar collectors have been limited to low temperature applications below 100°C like water heating. However, ongoing innovations in evacuated tube technology are enabling cost-effective generation of mid-range process heat up to 400°C. Textile processing, chemical production, food/beverage pasteurization, automobile paint curing represent growing industrial applications for medium-temperature solar process heat using collector tubes.

Solar Collector Tube Market Restraints

• High initial and installation costs: Despite advancements, the upfront system and installation costs of solar collector tube systems remain high, deterring many potential customers. Components like tubes, headers, heat exchangers, and the storage add to costs. Complex designs also make the installation expensive. The market needs accelerated efforts towards designing simplified plug-and-play type systems and lowering production/logistics costs through technology improvements and economies of scale. For instance, according to the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission, the fiscal budget allocation for renewable energy subsidies in China was reduced by 20% from 2021 levels. This has resulted in consumers having to bear a major share of the upfront costs without adequate financial assistance measures
• Infrastructure challenges in developing countries: Underdeveloped infrastructure poses challenges to solar collector adoption in many developing countries. Lack of technicians for Operations and Maintenance services, absence of specialized companies providing collector system design/installation, and inadequate distribution channels for spare parts hamper market growth. Improving the solar infrastructure ecosystem in terms of skilled labor, authorized system integrators, and supply chains will aid the adoption of collector tube systems in emerging economies. For instances, according to the World Bank's 2021 Energy Progress Report, only 47% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa had access to electricity in 2019 as infrastructure deficits prevented extension of grids to remote areas. Off-grid solar could have bridged this gap but lack of transportation and distribution networks continue restricting market growth.

Counterbalance: Proper infrastructure needs to be allocated in the underdeveloped countries with proper skilled technicians for adoption of collector tube systems.

• Limitations in high-temperature, industrial process heat applications: While solar collector tubes can technically work at temperatures beyond 100°C, their widespread adoption for mid to high range industrial process heat above 250°C is impeded by challenges like heat losses and lower thermal output in certain ambient conditions. Enhancing collector efficiency through advances like spectrally-selective absorber coatings and optimized vacuum insulations will enable cost-competitive solar process heat. There is also a need for better system design, integration, controls, and storage for continuous high-temperature heat supply.

Analyst View

The solar collector tube market is forecast to witness steady growth over the next five years 2023-25. Asia Pacific, led by China, will continue to dominate the market due to strong government support for solar energy adoption. Europe and North America are also expected to witness  emerging opportunities,  as countries replace aging renewable infrastructure and invest in cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels. Key drivers of demand include policy pushes for cleaner power generation as more nations commit to reducing carbon emissions and combating climate change. Solar collector tubes play a vital role in harnessing renewable solar thermal energy for heating, cooling, and power generation applications. Rising energy costs also make solar solutions more economically viable as compared to traditional fossil fuels. Advancements in coating and absorption technologies are improving the efficiency of solar collector tubes. However, market growth could be restricted by challenges such as high initial installation costs of solar thermal plants. Collector tubes also require more space as compared to photovoltaic panels. Fluctuating costs of key raw materials like copper and aluminum that are used in tube manufacturing, poses another restraint. Nevertheless, solar collector tube manufacturers are directing research and development (R&D) efforts towards developing more cost-effective, durable, and higher performance products. In conclusion, while capital constraints may slow the short-term outlook, long-term demand prospects for solar collector tubes remain promising with  the increasing policy push for clean energy globally and technological innovations enhancing the viability of solar thermal.

Recent Developments

New product launches

• In September 2022, Apricus Solar Co., a leading designer and manufacturer of solar hot water and hydronic heating products, launched a new evacuated tube solar collector called Etros with advanced coatings for improved efficiency. The new collector is aimed at residential and commercial heating applications. The company has grown into a global presence with offices in the U.S., Australia, France, and sales in more than 30 countries.
• In January 2021, Linuo Paradigma, , a subsidiary of Linuo Group Holdings Co., Ltd., is a prominent player in the solar energy industry, specializing in solar thermal products and solutions, launched the Roof Top Tent solar tube, a high-efficiency all-glass evacuated tube solar collector that is designed for hot water and heating applications. The new model features improved heat transfer and lower thermal losses.
• In November 2020, Solimpeks, a Turkey based company dedicated to manufacture and market solar thermal and photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collectors worldwide introduced its Solytech solar tube collector for industrial process heat generation. The system can reach temperatures up to 400°C and is suited for food processing, chemical production, and other manufacturing applications. The company's broader product line is exported to 60 countries, with European Union countries comprising about 70% of sales.

Acquisition and partnerships

• In October 2022, Kingspan Group plc., a Ireland based a building materials company, acquired a majority stake in Solmogeneracion, a Spain based solar thermal company specializing in large systems for industrial process heat. The move expands Kingspan Group plc.'s solar thermal abilities.
• In December 2020, Viessmann Group GmbH & Co. KG, company manufacturing heating equipment, acquired a stake in Arcon-Sunmark, a leading Denmark based  solar thermal collector manufacturer. The partnership aims to accelerate Viessmann GmbH & Co. KG,'s solar heating business and product development. Viessmann Group GmbH & Co. KG produces oil-fired, condensing, gas-fired, and solid fuel-fired boilers, control technology, systems for photovoltaic, heat pumps, air-conditioning technology, home ventilation systems, and heating system components.

Figure 2. Global Solar Collector Tube Market Share (%), by System Type, 2023

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Top Companies in Solar Collector Tube Market

• Schott AG
• Yulong Dingtajian New Energy
• Apex Solar
• Sinosun Energy Technology
• Neo Solar Power Corporation
• Solimpeks Solar Energy
• Sunrain
• Hubei Fullhonor Solar Energy Technology
• Solar Wind Technologies
• Sunmaxx

Definition: An  tube solar collector, also known as an evacuated tube, is a type of solar thermal energy technology that consists of glass tubes sealed with a vacuum. These collectors are designed to absorb solar energy from the sun, and the tubes act as heat absorbers and insulators to store the heat. The vacuum within the tubes helps to reduce heat loss, making them more efficient than conventional solar collectors. Each tube typically consists of a thick glass outer tube and a thinner glass inner tube, often with a special coating to enhance solar energy absorption. The design of evacuated tube collectors reduces heat loss to the environment, making them particularly useful in areas with cold, cloudy weather. The angle of the sunlight is always perpendicular to the heat-absorbing tubes, enabling efficient energy absorption even when shaded by clouds. Evacuated tube collectors are commonly used in solar water heating systems and other applications that require the efficient capture and storage of solar thermal energy.

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