Dear Sir/Madam,

The European Solar Thermal Industry Federation wishes you a very Happy New Year 2009. We are looking forward to welcoming you this year to the 4th European Solar Thermal Energy Conference estec2009 that will be held at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich on 25 and 26 May.

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


In this newsletter:

estec2009 Programme – A complete overview of Solar Thermal in 2009 by world’s leading experts in the field

ESTIF would like to thank you all for your interest in the Call of Abstracts for the 4th European Solar Thermal Energy Conference estec2009.

The Conference Secretariat has received 76 abstracts by authors from 22 countries. The variety and quality make us confident that estec2009 will provide you with the latest information relevant to your business: Trends and market information, current challenges and innovations. And once again, estec proves its specificity as the most international solar thermal conference worldwide.

The Programme Committee will review and evaluate with due care all the abstracts that have been submitted online. Authors of the selected abstracts will be contacted by e-mail by the end of February.

To receive the estec2009 Advance Programme upon its release in March 2009, please register for the estec2009 newsletter via the conference website www.estec2009.org.

The estec20009 Programme Committee consists of the following members:

estec2009: new city, new venue

The growing success and importance of the previous European Solar Thermal Energy Conferences led to major changes for estec2009.

From Freiburg to Munich…

Throughout the years estec has become the most important information exchange platform in the solar thermal sector, attracting for its last edition more than 500 participants from over 50 countries worldwide. In 2007, more than 2/3 of estec2007 participants came from outside Germany making estec the largest international conference on solar thermal energy worldwide.

The organiser's decision to continue its collaboration with Intersolar, now the world's largest solar energy trade show, led to a relocation of the event from Freiburg to Munich, allowing participants to attend both estec2009 and Intersolar in just one week.

Munich - with almost 1.5 million inhabitants – is not only the third biggest German city but also one of the country’s strongest economic centres with a very dynamic and international research and technology environment.

A first-rank venue for a first-rank event…

estec2009 will be held at the hotel “Bayerischer Hof”, a leading world-class hotel in the heart of Munich opened in 1841. Situated in the Old Town district, it is in direct proximity to the most important sights and shopping opportunities.

Used to hosting large meetings, the hotel offers top facilities and a wide range of high quality services. The conference will take place in three large fully air-conditioned meeting rooms, including the magnificent ballroom which can host over 800 guests.

Participants to the estec2009 conference have the opportunity to book hotel rooms at reduced rates for duration of the conference.

If you are interested, please contact directly the hotel Bayerischer Hof and do not forget to mention “estec2009”, Tel: +49 89 21 20-0, info@bayerischerhof.de

Solar Thermal in Europe: 2008 market data

Reports from the development of national markets in 2008 show an increase in new installations of 45-50% to around 2,8 GWth of new capacity in the EU 27 Member States and Switzerland. For the first time the total collector area newly installed in Europe could reach the 4 million square meters mark in one year. And while the industry experts agree that the short-term effects of the current economic turmoil are difficult to foresee, there is wide-spread confidence that the medium- and long-term outlook for solar thermal is very positive.

A key priority of the ESTIF Board of Directors will be to support the member associations in the national implementation of the forthcoming Renewable Energy Directive. This piece of legislation is expected to have a strong positive impact on the solar thermal market in the coming years. National governments will have to be made aware that solar thermal can make an important contribution to meeting their national renewable energy target, if the right policy measures are put in place.

More in depth analysis of the latest market data and the developments in different national markets, will be available at estec2009.

ESTTP: Strategic Agenda launched in Brussels

The Strategic Research Agenda of the solar thermal sector was presented in Brussels on 15 December 2008.

The document, developed by more than 100 experts participating in the European Solar Thermal Technology Platform (ESTTP) describes the research efforts and infrastructure necessary to reach the goal of supplying 50% of the energy needed for heating in cooling with solar thermal energy.

A deployment roadmap shows the non-technological framework conditions to reach this goal. “Solar thermal can provide much more than just domestic hot water”, said ESTTP chairman Gerhard Stryi-Hipp.” Already solar thermal systems combining hot water preparation and support to space heating are in wide-spread use in Central and Northern Europe. But to reach our goal of 50% of heating to be supplied by solar thermal energy, new applications have to be developed and deployed”.

The Strategic Research Agenda (full version) as well as Executive Summaries in French, German, Italian and Spanish are available at www.esttp.org.

estec2009 offers specific sessions on several market segments highlighted in the SRA. Presentations include solar thermal in district heating, buildings with high solar fractions, and the latest heat storage concepts.

Save the dates: Upcoming solar thermal events

Conferenza dell’Industria Solare (CIS-IT 2009),
5-6 February, Rome

The Conferenza dell’Industria Solare – Italia 2009 (CIS-IT 2009) takes place on 5 – 6 February 2009 in Rome. It is organized by Solarpraxis in collaboration with Ambiente Italia.

Speakers include over 60 leaders and experts from industry and trade, finance, associations, government, public agencies, academy, NGOs and other stakeholders from Italy and abroad. They provide an excellent overview of key issues around the development of solar energy in Italy, including Solar Thermal, Concentrated Solar Power and PV.

With over 300 participants expected, CIS-IT 2009 promises to become a major appointment for those making solar business in Italy and across its borders.

More Information here.


Deutsche Solarthermie-Technologiekonferenz 2009

Hosted by Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft the Solar Thermal Technology Conference 2009 (Solarthermie-Technologiekonferenz 2009) will be held on 10-11 February 2009 in Berlin.

The conference is an exchange forum which will give the opportunity to the stakeholders from the solar thermal sector to discuss main innovations and technological developments in this field. The conference will focus on development perspectives of solar thermal sector and highlight the potential of R&D in Germany and Europe.

This event, which should gather around 200 participants, is addressed to academic and industry experts of solar thermal, as well as to political leaders and representatives from financial institutions and media.

The Conference is part of the activities of the German Solar Thermal Technology Platform (DSTTP) and is co-funded by the German Ministry for the Environment (BMU). For more information, please visit the conference website: www.solarthermietechnologie.de/konferenz

Conference at a glance

estec2009 sponsors


We thank following sponsors for their support to estec2009:

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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