Technology News

[vijayrmca]

Based on current forecasts by the European Solar Thermal Industry
Federation (ESTIF), the outlook is sunny for solar thermal
technology in 2008, with particularly high growth expected in the
Mediterranean countries. The one-day Solar Thermal Industry
Forum, which will take place as part of Intersolar 2008 in Munich
for the first time, will focus on the development of
international markets as well as technological innovations in the
industry. The Forum is co-organized by the University of
Stuttgart's Institute for Thermodynamics and Thermal Engineering
(ITW) in cooperation with Solar- und Wärmetechnik Stuttgart
(SWT), and is supported by the German Solar Industry Association
(BSW Solar).

Sunshine after rain - Germany continues to lead the way

After the tremendous growth of 58 percent in the solar thermal
market in 2006, sales and newly installed capacity had recently
declined in Germany. Nevertheless, Germany is still the market
leader in the European market with a collector area of around
nine million square meters, which equates to an installed
capacity of approximately 6500 megawatts. Thus, 2007 saw the
addition of new solar collectors with a total collector area of
almost one million square meters or 700 MW of capacity. In spite
of the slight downturn, sales reached around 900 million EUR.
Solar thermal technology is also very promising in terms of the
labor market - the industry currently employs around 15,000
people in Germany.

The trend across Europe is also positive: more and more new
markets are emerging for solar thermal technology. Especially in
Spain, France and Italy, solar thermal technology is seeing
unprecedented growth due to the high oil price and the desire for
independence from fossil fuels, and also as a result of statutory
regulations: in each of these young markets alone, at least
210,000 square meters of solar thermal collectors were installed
in 2007.

"Solar thermal technology is making giant strides. Manufacturers,
suppliers and service providers from the solar thermal industry
need a platform for the regular exchange of information. The
annual Solar Thermal Industry Forum fits the bill perfectly",
says Gerhard Stryi-Hipp, Managing Director of the German Solar
Industry Association (BSW Solar) and supporter of the Forum.
Large-scale solar thermal installations and the multiple use of
solar heated water are particularly pronounced technological
trends in the solar thermal industry: solar combi-systems use
solar energy to produce hot water and generate heat for heating
purposes Relatively small combi-systems with a collector area of
between 10 and 15 square meters take up hardly any space but
still contribute up to a third of the total heating requirements
for a detached family house. In houses with average insulation,
this leads to a saving of up to 30 percent on normal heating
costs.

Top themes at Solar Thermal Industry Forum
The range of themes at the Solar Thermal Industry Forum will
cover every aspect of solar thermal power generation. The opening
session, featuring an overview of current developments in the
global and European solar thermal market, will be followed by
various events addressing the main themes of the Forum, including

* Innovative collector technologies such as plastic collectors
and collectors for higher application temperature ranges

* Manufacturing innovations such as laser welding in conjunction
with aluminum absorbers

* Innovative storage technologies such as new equipment for
thermal layered loading and unloading as well as thermochemical
heat storage

* Presentation of current projects for a solar local heat supply
in conjunction with seasonal storage

* European and global markets, including the solar thermal
markets in France, Spain, Italy and China

* Developments in the area of standardization and certification,
such as the Solar Keymark and the development of European
standards as well as energy labeling

* Current trends in the area of solar thermal power plants

The Solar Thermal Industry Forum is just as relevant to component
manufacturers and planners as it is to marketing professionals
and experts from the field of science and research.

The European solar thermal industry's annual get-together

These and other developments in the solar thermal industry will
be addressed at the Solar Thermal Industry Forum. After the
launch event in 2008, future Forums will take place annually as
part of the Intersolar trade fair in Munich. Horst Dufner,
Project Manager of organizer Solar Promotion GmbH, sees this as a
logical consequence of the industry's development: "With the
internationalization of the industry and the constant growth in
international exhibitors and visitors in the field of solar
thermal technology at Intersolar, this step seems almost overdue.
We look forward to further consolidating the Forum as a top-class
event for the solar thermal industry".
Further information, program and registration:
Solar Thermal Industry Forum: Forum

[olivia]

Solar technologies was developed very much in European countries, in the year 2008 they developed more power in solar system.
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Olivia
widecircles

[AjayKumar.Kataram]

very good info

[suresh_m1729@yahoo.co.in]

Thanks for sharing this information!!!