Dear Sir/Madam,

“Get ready for the solar thermal boom” by attending the 4th European Solar Thermal Energy Conference (estec2009) that will be held at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich on 25-26 May 2009.

estec2009 is the largest conference on solar thermal energy worldwide and the premier international information platform to exchange views on current technological, political and market developments with international key experts from industry, research and politics.

In this newsletter:

• Highlights of the estec2009 Programme
• France: Favourable political climate to stimulate solar thermal market
• Portugal: New support scheme greeted with mixed reactions
• EU Sustainable Energy Week, Brussels, February 9-13, 2009
• Mediterranean Solar Plan
• Intersolar09: Last year’s record for exhibition space already broken
• Conference at a glance
• estec2009 sponsors’ acknowledgement
• Contact information

Highlights of the estec2009 programme


Thanks to the quality and number of contributions you submitted in response to our Call for Abstracts, the programme of the 4th European Solar Thermal Energy Conference will be even more attractive. All submitted abstracts were reviewed carefully on 19 January 2009 by the estec2009 Programme Committee. On the basis of the recommendations issued during this meeting, ESTIF is currently developing the final conference programme.

estec2009 conference programme will cover the following topic categories:

• Latest reports from national markets
• Public policies
• Promotion and education
• Quality assurance
• Standards and certification
• Technological developments

France: Favourable political climate to stimulate solar thermal market


France is one of the leading and most dynamic solar thermal markets in Europe. Albeit far behind Germany and Austria, France - with an estimated 205 MWth (295 000 m2) newly installed capacity in 2008 - is in the top 6 largest European markets. Despite a recent slow down during the past two years, the French market growth has been particularly dynamic from 1998 to 2007 as it increased by 40% per annum on average!

Solar thermal should benefit from the current favourable political climate of the “Grenelle de l’Environnement” which fosters the use of renewable energies. In order to reach the target of 20% of renewables in total energy consumption by 2020, more than four million buildings will be equipped with solar thermal heating applications. Furthermore, some existing financial incentive schemes such as a 50% tax credit and local financial subsidies have already enticed new consumers to opt for solar thermal energy sources.

French energy associations have developed interesting initiatives to ensure the quality of solar thermal installations. The association Qualit’EnR grants the Qualisol label to companies whose installers satisfy specific quality requirements. The brand “Ô Solaire” has been created by member companies of the French solar association Enerplan for domestic solar thermal applications.

More in depth-analysis of the French solar thermal market as well as of the developed quality assurance initiatives will be provided at estec2009. For more information on the French solar thermal market, please see also: www.enerplan.asso.fr

Portugal: New support scheme greeted with mixed reactions


The Portuguese Prime-Minister, José Socrates, announced last week a new incentive scheme for the solar thermal market in Portugal. This scheme should become operational in March and foresees the installation of solar thermal equipment in 65.000
households by the end of 2009. This will be equivalent to an area of 250.000 m2 newly installed collectors and result in the creation of 2.500 jobs across the country, 1.800 to 2.200 of which in installation and maintenance. The investment being considered totals 225 million EUR with 95 million EUR of public funding.

The new support scheme could prove very positive for the development of the solar thermal market in Portugal. But because it looks as if only a few manufacturers will benefit from this scheme, the government proposal was also met with much criticism. The national solar association Apisolar will meet with the relevant ministry on 27 February, to ensure the scheme is open to all manufacturers and importers of quality products.

ESTIF will report on the latest developments of the incentive scheme.

EU Sustainable Energy Week, Brussels, February 9-13, 2009


The third EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) took place on 9–13 February in Brussels and other cities across Europe. Initiated by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Energy and Transport, this third edition of the EUSEW brought together decision makers and thousands of citizens to debate about strategies for a more sustainable future.

Two events organised in Brussels brought solar thermal issues to the fore. The first one
entitled “Solar thermal in buildings and beyond – cutting edge examples and future developments” was held on Thursday 12 February. Presentations of this event can be downloaded from the website of the European Solar Thermal Technology Platform
(www.esttp.org).

The conference dedicated to the “Mediterranean Solar Plan - a win-win opportunity for everybody” also highlighted solar thermal projects. In her introductory speech, Mrs Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations, stated that solar energy is a priority for the Union for the Mediterranean. While most speakers focussed on solar electricity the new ESTIF president, Mr Olivier Drücke reminded the audience that the region used a lot of energy for heating and cooling purposes. The Mediterranean Solar Plan should therefore not neglect the development of solar thermal markets in the region.

Mediterranean Solar Plan


The Union for the Mediterranean was created last year following a French political initiative aimed at bringing together countries from the Northern and Southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea around common projects.

One of the priorities of this newly created Union is the Mediterranean Solar Plan whose primary objective is to increase new installed capacity by 20 GW by 2020.

In addition to the dramatic increase of newly installed capacity, the Mediterranean Solar Plan also aims at limiting the growth of energy demand and improving energy efficiency and energy savings. The Union’s objective is to further electricity interconnection and foster technology cooperation between both sides of the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean Solar Plan is still in its early stage but could give a boost to the development of solar heating and cooling in the Southern Mediterranean Basin where solar thermal’s huge potential is far from being fully exploited.

Intersolar 2009: Last year’s record for exhibition space already broken


Intersolar 2009 has already broken last year's record for exhibition space. The amount of exhibition space booked for 2009 has surpassed that booked in 2008.

In 2008, Intersolar posted record growth in exhibition space of 120%, which was largely made possible by the
move to the New Munich Trade Fair Center and the increased scope this offered. The show was hosted in
Munich for the first time in 2008, after many successful years in Freiburg. With the further growth of 31% in 2009 to a total of 100,000 sqm of exhibition space in nine halls, Intersolar again strengthens its position as largest trade show for photovoltaics and solar heat worldwide. This year 1.300 exhibitors and 60.000 visitors are expected. Thus it further establishes its status as the leading international trade show for solar technology.

“We welcome these figures and are very excited about Intersolar 2009. At its current size, Intersolar reflects the international importance of the industry, which will also experience significant growth over the coming year. This development is proof that we are going in the right direction with our trade show.”, says Markus Elsässer, CEO of Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim, one of the two organisers of Intersolar 2009.

For further information on Intersolar 2009 and the conference and fringe programme, please visit the website at www.intersolar.de or contact Horst Dufner, info@intersolar.de.

Conference at a glance

estec2009 sponsors


We thank following sponsors for their support to estec2009:

Gold Sponsor



Silver Sponsors




Bronze Sponsors



Media partners




Supported by

Contact Information

European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF)
Rue d’Arlon 63-67
B - 1040 Brussels
Tel.: +32 2 546 19 38
Fax: +32 2 546 19 39
Email: estec2009@estif.org
Web: www.estec2009.org


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