The winners are international companies who have proved their innovative strength with outstanding services and products. The 5th anni-versary 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. Cele-brating 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.
"Solar Projects in North America" is the first prize category in this field. Projects in the follow-ing fields are eligible for submission: "Solar Building", "Industrial and Commercial Use", as well as "Utility Scale Projects". Similarly, the Intersolar Award is also being present-ed 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 develop-ment in the industry to successfully install more photovoltaic systems. Last years applications in-cluded 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 effi-ciency 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 opti-mized grid feed-in.
Applications based on attractive architectural solutions for building integration have also seen a welcomed increase.
Companies from the Solar Thermal Technology category also unveil impressive and innovative de-velopments at Intersolar Europe. Entries based on new collector systems show the solar thermal industry tapping into new fields of application, in addition to the traditional areas of domestic water heating and back-up heating. These new systems include solar cooling, process heat generation, combined heat and power, and power generation on small and medium scales.
Cost reduction also plays a key role here. Impressive applications from previous years have shown how costs can be effectively cut with new production methods or by using aluminum as the absorber material. The industry has delved into new areas of application over the last few years, particularly with regard to system integration of various heat sources and the use of solar heat for industrial and municipal applications.
These are just a handful of examples of pioneering products and innovations, which represent the innovative strength of the solar industry and which have shaped the Intersolar Award over recent years. And 2012 is no different exhibitors and visitors can once again look forward to new trends and solutions from all over the world.
To the podium
The Intersolar Award 2012 is being presented in the following categories: "Photovoltaics", "Solar Thermal Technology", "PV Production Technology", and, for the first time, "Solar Projects". "Solar Projects in North America" is the first prize category in the "Solar Projects" field.
Participants from "Photovoltaics", "Solar Thermal Technology" and "PV Production Technology" categories may enter products, services, and solutions which are to debut at Intersolar Europe or Intersolar North America 2012, or which were exhibited at Intersolar India or Intersolar China in 2011. Refinements of products and solutions previously presented at the exhibition are also per-mitted. Submissions must have been trialed or must already be in industrial use.
Projects falling under "Solar Building", "Industrial and Commercial Use", or "Utility Scale Projects" may be submitted for the "Solar Projects" category. In order to be eligible, projects must be fully completed at the time of submission to the Intersolar Award and must not be more than two years old. Exhibitors at Intersolar Europe 2012, Intersolar North America 2012, Intersolar China 2011 and Intersolar India 2011 are eligible to participate.
This year's winners will be decided as part of a two-part selection process after the application deadline. In the first phase, an expert panel selects up to ten nominees in each category. An expert jury, made up of specialists from science, industry, research and trade media, then selects up to three winners from each category. The winner of the "PV Production Technology" category will be chosen by the SEMI PV Group, the global industry association of equipment and material manufac-turers specializing in photovoltaics.
The Intersolar Award for "Photovoltaics", "Solar Thermal Technology" and the category "PV Production Technology" will be presented during an official ceremony on June 13, 2012 at 4:30pm at Intersolar Europe in Munich. The winner of the "Solar Projects in North America" category will be announced on July 12, 2012 at Intersolar North America in San Francisco.
Companies wanting to be considered for the Intersolar Award can register on the Intersolar Eu-rope website under "Exhibitor Service", "Marketing + Promotion", then menu item "Intersolar Award". They will then obtain access details to download application documents. All applications must be submitted by March 30, 2012.
Intersolar Europe 2012 takes place from June 1315 at the Munich Trade Fair Centre.
