International solar experts discuss topics affecting the future of the industry at the Intersolar Europe Conference

Munich, June 12, 2012 – The international solar industry was meeting yesterday at the ICM – Internationales Congress Center München to kick off the Intersolar Europe Conference. Here, industry participants and international experts together discuss trends, markets and technologies within the global solar industry. From yesterday until June 14, around 400 speakers and 2,500 attendees will share information and ideas on the latest topics in photovoltaics, PV production technologies and solar thermal technologies. The highlights of this year's conference program include Grid Stability, State-of-the-Art Storage Technologies and Large-scale Photovoltaic Power Plants. Topics such as Solar Heat for Industrial Processes, Solar Cooling and Solar Heating Concepts, particularly Heating with Solar Power, are at the center of discussions surrounding solar thermal technologies. A further focal topic for 2012 is Global PV Markets. The Intersolar Europe Conference program broadens and consolidates the topics of Intersolar Europe, the world's largest exhibition for the solar industry, which is once again taking place at Messe München from June 13–15.

The Intersolar Europe Conference is taking place this year from June 11−14, 2012 at the ICM – Internationales Congress Center München, kicking off two days ahead of the world's largest exhibition for the solar industry, Intersolar Europe. At the conference, international experts from research, industry and industry associations examine and explore exhibition topics and trends. The talks, panel discussions and workshops covering photovoltaics, PV production technologies and solar thermal technologies address important industry trends and topics. Various networking events also provide numerous opportunities to meet international industry representatives, share experiences and maintain existing contacts.

The future of international markets

In view of recent developments, many key markets worldwide, and Germany in particular, are now faced with question of how politics and the economy will shape the energy revolution in the future. The opening session that, today at 12:00pm, officially inaugurates the topic of photovoltaics is therefore dedicated to Germany's energy U-turn. The topic taking center stage is how the structure of energy supply can be changed from a centralized to a distributed system. The presentations that follow on this the opening day highlight the current situation in Europe as well as the future challenges and opportunities within the European market.

As the conference progresses, on June 12, attention turns to the latest developments in Asian markets. Since early May 2012, Japan has provisionally shut down all 50 of its nuclear reactors in response to the Fukushima disaster. The country is therefore currently facing significant challenges with regard to its future power supply, which presents an excellent opportunity for the solar industry. The talk entitled Japan's PV market takes a look at the future of the Japanese market on Tuesday, June 12 from 10:05am.

The PV market in China has undergone particularly dynamic development over the last year. Supported by a new political framework and the introduction of feed-in tariffs, the country's solar power capacity of 2.7 gigawatts (GW) has increased fivefold compared to 2011. The Chinese government is now planning to expand capacity to 50 GW by 2020. The present situation and future developments are illustrated in the presentation China's PV market on Tuesday, June 12, from 10:30am.

Grid integration, electricity storage and future PV trends

The photovoltaics conference area focuses on the topics of Grid Integration and Electricity Storage. Yesterday the Storage Technologies presentations centered on short and medium-term electrical storage systems such as lead acid, lithium ion, sodium nickel chloride and redox flow batteries. Speakers shed light on the different areas of application and explain business and cost models for purchasing and operating the various storage systems. A further topic covers technical applications for long-term electricity storage, including hydrogen-based and power-to-gas methods. This involves using electricity to generate hydrogen by means of electrolysis. The hydrogen is then used to produce natural gas, which can be stored in the gas grid and used as needed.

The key topic for the power grids of the future − grid integration – is scheduled for discussion on Wednesday, June 13. From 10:00am-12:00pm, the Grid Integration session uncovers the new challenges placed on the power grid by renewable energy sources, explores the design of future supply networks, and debates issues concerning safety and standardization.

Solar thermal technologies: heating and cooling on a grand scale

The session entitled Solar Thermal Technologies Versus Insulation on Thursday, June 14, at 10:00am, sees the Sonnenhaus Institute present its study on the Efficient Balance between Insulation and Solar Thermal Technologies.

On June 14, at 1:15pm, the session Solar Thermal Technologies Versus Heating with Power analyzes the pros and cons of combining photovoltaic installations with electric heat pumps compared to solar thermal systems. The session also explores the options for future heat supply in Germany. This topic will finally be debated in a round table discussion from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.

During the Solar Heat for Industrial Processes and Large-Scale Solar Thermal Systems sessions on June 13, 2012, experts present solutions as to how solar thermal energy can be utilized in energy-intensive industries and how solar thermal power plants can provide large-scale heating for towns and regions in the future. Experts are also demonstrating innovative concepts and successfully completed projects in the session Solar Heat for Industrial Processes on Wednesday, June 13, from 10:00am to 12:00pm. The Solar Cooling session at 1:30pm, on the other hand, shows how the sun's energy can be used to meet the need for artificial cooling thanks to a variety of solar thermal technologies.

The sponsors of the Intersolar Europe Conference 2012 are Hanwha SolarOne Company Ltd., Shanghai, China, ReneSola Ltd., Jiashan, China, Dow Corning GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany, Lightway Green New Energy Co. Ltd., Gaobeidian, China, Schneider Electric SA, Rueil-Malmaison, France, Risen Energy GmbH, Nuremberg, Germany and Bosch Solar Energy AG, Erfurt, Germany.

Intersolar Europe 2012 takes place from June 13–15 at Messe München.

For further information on the Intersolar Europe Conference, please visit our website at www.intersolar.de

Partners of Intersolar Europe

Intersolar Europe is supported by the leading solar industry associations: the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) as an exclusive partner, the German Solar Energy Society (DGS), the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF), the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), the SEMI PV Group, and VDMA-PV, the platform for photovoltaic production equipment within the German Engineering Association. With the support of the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA).

About Intersolar

With over 3,500 exhibitors and 120,000 visitors spanning three continents, Intersolar is the world's leading exhibition series for the solar industry.

Intersolar Europe takes place annually at Messe München. Today, it is the world's largest exhibition for the solar industry. In 2011, 2,286 international exhibitors and around 77,000 trade visitors were welcomed to Intersolar Europe. Intersolar Europe focuses on the areas of photovoltaics, PV production technologies and solar thermal technologies. Since its founding, it has become established as the most important industry platform for manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers and service providers. The accompanying Intersolar Europe Conference consolidates the topics of the exhibition. In 2011, more than 400 speakers and around 2,500 attendees discussed current industry topics and investigated the background of technological, market and political developments.

Intersolar's storied history of international exhibitions and conferences spans more than 20 years. In 2008, Intersolar North America in San Francisco became the second exhibition after Intersolar Europe. This was followed by Intersolar India in 2009, which has been held in Mumbai since 2010, and Intersolar China in Beijing, which was launched in 2011.