FIVE YEARS OF THE INTERSOLAR AWARD: APPLICATION PROCESS FOR 2012 UNDERWAY
The anniversary of the most important innovation award for the solar industry is marked by a yet stronger international character and the debut of “Solar Pro-jects” awards
Munich, February 20, 2012 – From February 1 to March 30, Intersolar exhibitors can apply for the 2012 Intersolar AWARD. The winners are international companies who have proved their innovative strength with outstanding services and products. The 5th anniversary will see the jury once again award up to three winners from the categories of “Photovoltaics”, “Solar Thermal Technology” and “PV Production Technology”. For the first time, exhibitors from Intersolar China are invited to put forward their applications alongside exhibitors from Intersolar Europe in Munich, Intersolar North America in San Francisco and Intersolar India in Mumbai. Awards will be presented for the specified ar-eas during a special ceremony at Intersolar Europe on June 13, 2012 from 4:30pm. Celebrating its anniversary, the Intersolar AWARD boasts a new addition to its portfolio with the introduction of a new prize category, entitled “Solar Projects”, from 2012. “So-lar Projects in North America” is the first prize category in this field. Projects in the following fields are eligible for submission: “Solar Building”, “Industrial and Commercial Use”, as well as “Utility Scale Projects”. Similarly, the Intersolar AWARD is also being presented in this category as part of Intersolar North America in San Francisco on July 10, 2012.
A total of 301 innovations from 25 countries have been entered for the Intersolar AWARD since it was established. Therefore, not only does the number of entries soar year on year, but so too does the quality of the applications – for the organizers, this underlines the high regard for this special industry award, which shines a light on the winners and their products for the entire global solar industry to admire.
The future of solar energy supply at Intersolar Europe
In 2011, the rise in newly-installed photovoltaic capacity reached a new high, both in Germany and the world over. The impressive applications for the Intersolar AWARD shed light how the industry tackles the challenges presented by this increase.
Reducing the cost of modules and systems remains one of the most important areas of development in the industry to successfully install more photovoltaic systems. Last year’s applications included cost-effective installation systems as well as cell and module innovations. In this respect, Intersolar exhibitors relied on new materials, such as in the films used for the backsheets of PV modules, as well as new production methods, which increase the service life and long-term efficiency of solar cells. Companies have also been successful in their commitment to other important development areas, including yield security, plant monitoring, and intelligent inverters for optimized grid feed-in. Applications based on attractive architectural solutions for building integration have also seen a welcomed increase.