Vaillant Solar Systems Launches at Solar Power International 08

Vaillant Solar Systems, headquartered in San Diego, specializes in solar water heating, solar pool heating and solar space heating systems for residential and commercial applications. Vaillant Solar Systems will initially focus on California, Arizona and Nevada.

SAN DIEGO, October 14, 2008 - The Vaillant Group, an international heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technology company with annual sales in excess of $3.4 billion USD, launched a U.S. subsidiary today at Solar Power International 08. Vaillant Solar Systems, headquartered in San Diego, specializes in solar water heating, solar pool heating and solar space heating systems for residential and commercial applications. Vaillant Solar Systems will initially focus on California, Arizona and Nevada.


"Renewable energy is one of the few bright spots in the economy today," said Dr. Burkhard von Spreckelsen, CEO of Vaillant Solar Systems. "American interest in solar power is approaching European levels where political policies have encouraged companies to invest in R&D and consumers to embrace alternative energy. And we believe American consumers will appreciate the quality and innovation we are bringing to this market."

With a U.S. presence, the Vaillant Group hopes to build on its multi-year, double-digit sales growth of renewable energy technology in Europe. In 2007, Vaillant Group increased its sales of products for the use of renewable energies by 20 percent, to about $160 million USD, compared to an increase of only 7 percent for the European market as a whole.

Since 2007, the Vaillant Group has further increased its commitment to the renewable energies sector, opening a production facility to manufacture solar collectors in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, in June 2008. That plant, already operating at capacity, is undergoing expansion and will ultimately serve the U.S. market.

The Vaillant Group estimates that renewable energy technology sales from 2007 to 2009 will double, further expanding its strong global market position as a full-range supplier of energy-efficient systems.

More than 500 Vaillant Group employees are engaged in research, one of the industry's largest development teams. The Vaillant Group averages 50 new patents each year and holds more than 3,000 patents in its intellectual property portfolio. More than 80 percent of its global sales are achieved with products less than three years old.



In the U.S., Vaillant Solar Systems will specialize in solar thermal technology, offering solar panels, solar hot water tanks, controllers, and solar stations. The products can be applied to simple residential pool or domestic hot water heating installations or combined using sophisticated software simulations and precise engineering to handle more complex commercial applications for high-volume hot water users such as hotels, hospitals, gyms, laundry facilities, public swimming pools and water parks.

About Vaillant Solar Systems:

Vaillant Solar Systems is a progressive sustainable energy company offering German-engineered solar water heating, solar pool heating and solar space heating systems for residential and commercial applications. The company expects to offer photovoltaic panels in the U.S. in 2009. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Vaillant Solar Systems currently serves California, Arizona and Nevada. Vaillant Solar Systems is a subsidiary of the Vaillant Group and benefits from its parent company's solar thermal research and development team in Remscheid, Germany.

About the Vaillant Group:
Vaillant Group is an internationally operating heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technology company based in Remscheid, Germany. As one of the world's market and technology leaders, the company develops and produces tailor-made products, systems and services for domestic comfort. The product portfolio ranges from efficient heating appliances based on customary fuels to system solutions for using regenerative energy sources. In 2007, total revenues sales exceeded $3.4 billion USD. Vaillant Group has been family-owned since its founding in 1874 and has more than 12,000 employees.

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NOTE: Vaillant Solar Systems will be located in Booth #2140 at Solar Power International 08

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