Intersolar Europe honors the most innovative solar companies of 2010

Intersolar Europe honors the most innovative solar companies of 2010

Nine pioneering technologies were today presented with the Intersolar AWARD.

For the third year running, Intersolar Europe, the world’s largest exhibition for solar technology, has paid tribute to new, pioneering products and services. This year, prizes were awarded in the fields of “Photovoltaics” and “Solar Thermal Technology” and for the first time in the category “PV Production Technology”. The Intersolar AWARD international technology prize was today presented to nine outstandingly innovative companies as part of an official ceremony at the Innovation Exchange.

Intersolar Europe is the world's largest exhibition for the solar industry and the most influential forum for innovative technologies and services in the fields of photovoltaics and solar thermal technology. It therefore serves as a gauge of innovative power within the solar industry. In awarding the prize, organizers Solar Promotion GmbH and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG (FWTM), in cooperation with the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar), wish to create an incentive for companies to play an active role in shaping the future of sustainable energy supply.

New “PV Production Technology” award category and greater participant numbers
New for this year was the addition of the “PV Production Technology” award category. And also for the first time this year, exhibitors of Intersolar North America were eligible to participate in addition to exhibitors at Intersolar Europe in Munich. As a result, participant numbers have increased to a total of 2,300 and reflect the internationalization and growing level of interconnection within the industry.

The winners of the Intersolar AWARD were selected by three independent jurys comprised of experts from research, science, industry and the trade media. Three winners were chosen in each category. Products and solutions were eligible for submission which were to be exhibited for the first time at either Intersolar Europe or Intersolar North America in 2010, or which represent a significant refinement of a product compared to previous exhibition appearances. Submissions must have undergone trials or already be in industrial use.

Winners in the “Photovoltaics” category
The photovoltaics jury presented three companies with the Intersolar AWARD. In his speech, Dr.-Ing. Michael Powalla from the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Wuerttemberg lauded the three prize winners.

Zurich based company ABB Schweiz AG specializes in reducing common losses in the production of solar power. It has developed an intelligent product for photovoltaic applications, the “S800” high performance process system. The system ensures that unaffected strings continue to function normally and deliver yield in the event of a partial failure in the photovoltaic installation. Thanks to its low energy consumption levels, the strings can be controlled without great losses, and a remote switching unit (RSU) provides additional security (e.g. in the event of fire). The product’s longevity and its lack of harmful components ensure that greater benefits for the environment are achieved.

Owing to the cost reduction potential offered by larger scale products, solar modules are becoming ever bigger and therefore proportionately heavier, which makes manual installation virtually impossible. Gehrlicher Solar AG based in Neustadt and Dornbach, Germany, has developed an innovative transportation and mounting system for large-scale photovoltaic modules. In this complete system, the entire process from manufacture to installation is linked together. The system guarantees the smooth transportation of up to 18 large modules, and a unique rail system (backrail solution) facilitates installation. The concept minimizes assembly time, and therefore costs as well.

SMA Solar Technology AG of Niestetal, Germany, has been singled out for a central inverter which meets all modern demands and combines the latest technical components in one practical unit. Its “Sunny Central 800CP” is the world’s first weatherproof single device with a nominal power output of 800 kVA. The high power output is enabled by an intelligent power management and ventilation concept. Furthermore, the system features an integrated monitoring unit (string monitoring) with self-learning error management. Installation is greatly simplified and transport costs reduced thanks to the inverter’s compact design.

Winners in the “Solar Thermal Technology” category
Dr. Volker Wittwer, advisor at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, paid tribute to winners in the “Solar Thermal Technology” category in a speech.

Storage technologies are the key to exploiting solar heat, particularly if a large proportion of heating requirements are to be covered using solar thermal technology. Through its “FLEXSAVE” heat buffer storage tank, FSAVE Solartechnik GmbH, based in Kassel, Germany, offers the opportunity to cover the heating needs of existing buildings using solar thermal technology. The modular, cubic design means that it can be installed and accommodated in existing residential buildings with the greatest of ease and facilitates a better use of space. Thanks to its 2,200 liter storage volume, the unpressurized storage tank is suitable both for buffering solar heat and for use with solid fuel boilers. The use of new materials keeps manufacturing costs to a minimum.

Across the world, the demand for cooling is on the rise, pushing global power consumption sky high. Solar powered cooling systems (adsorption refrigerators) represent an energy-saving alternative to power-hungry compressor technology. For this reason, an Intersolar AWARD was also presented to Berlin company InvenSor GmbH. Compared to conventional thermal refrigerators, the “InvenSor Adsorption Refrigerator (LTC)” can be operated with markedly lower temperatures. InvenSor uses zeolites in place of more commonly used silica gel to increase efficiency. In conjunction with broad flat plate collectors, power consumption can be reduced by over 70%. Pure water serves as an environmentally friendly refrigerant, and its use means that the environmental impact is low. Low power consumption and relatively low noise emissions also characterize the compact device.

A positive example for linking-up expertise was demonstrated by the joint submission from the Institute for Building Construction and Design of the University of Stuttgart (structural design), Ritter Energie- und Umwelttechnik GmbH & Co. KG (collector development), Hydro Building Systems GmbH (WICONA) (facade development) and Frener & Reifer Metallbau GmbH (facade construction), which details their new approach to facade integration for vacuum tubes. Joint development work between these collaborators resulted in the award-winning “CPC Office/System WICONA” facade collector, which meets future requirements for sustainable modern office buildings with glass facades. Architectural aspects such as transparency of the modules, room lighting, heat protection and solar protection are combined with the high efficiency of the collector in this product. Solar heat is made available for heating and cooling purposes at temperatures of up to 100°C.

Winners in the “PV Production Technology” category
The winners were praised for their ideas in a speech by Dr. Ingo Schwirtlich, Vice President of Technology at SCHOTT Solar GmbH.

Festo AG & Co. KG of Esslingen, Germany, received an award for its extremely fast handling system, the “High Speed H-Portal”. The combination of a flat construction and low moving mass provides dynamics in the smallest possible space, thereby saving both energy and resources. At the heart of the device is a module (lifting and rotating module) which works particularly efficiently. This interaction manages to increase the efficacy of production.

Swiss company GEMO-TEC Ltd. has been presented with the Intersolar AWARD for its innovative module production concept, “NICE Process”. The process represents an alternative to module encapsulation, operates with an airtight and moisture proof sealing technology and is entirely solder-free, making it environmentally friendly. By reducing production steps, it also enables clear reductions in manufacturing costs to be made.

Gebr. Schmid GmbH + Co., based in Freudenstadt, Germany, has also been singled out for its innovative, contact-free “LTP 1500/Laser Transfer Printing” metallization process, the performance characteristics of which are comparable to standard screen printing procedures. The modular system concept enables easy integration into existing production lines and the technology used dispenses with solvent-based pastes and removes one of the drying stages.