Solar Industry Award for Innovation Now Underway

MUNICH, February 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --

- The Intersolar AWARD 2010 Enters its Third Phase With the Additional Award Category "PV Production Technology" and a New International Orientation

Along with the previously established fields of "Photovoltaics" and "Solar Thermal Technology", the Intersolar Award 2010 will be presented for the first time in the category of "PV Production Technology". And yet another new development awaits companies in the solar industry: In addition to exhibitors at Intersolar Europe in Munich, exhibitors at Intersolar North America in San Francisco are now entitled to enter for the first time. Prizes will be presented on June 9 as part of an official ceremony, with the deadline for submissions closing on April 16, 2010.

As the world's largest exhibition for the entire solar industry, Intersolar Europe is the most important platform for showcasing groundbreaking technologies and innovations in the fields of photovoltaics and solar thermal technology. This makes Intersolar Europe not only the hub of an international industry, but an indicator of the innovative strength within it. And so, the Intersolar AWARD will be presented for the third time in 2010 by the organizers of Intersolar Europe - Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG (FWTM), in association with the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar).

This year, with the support of the PV Group (an initiative of the international semiconductor association SEMI which specializes in photovoltaics) the category "PV Production Technology" is being introduced to expand the field of "Photovoltaics". Together with the field of "Solar Thermal Technology", an award category already featured in previous years, the Intersolar AWARD now acknowledges the entire spectrum of solar technology represented at Intersolar Europe and Intersolar North America. "The Intersolar AWARD has established itself as the international technology prize in the solar industry. With the expansion into the category of PV Production Technology, for the first time we are now offering all exhibitors an extensive platform to present their technological innovations, both within the industry and to the wider public," says Markus Elsasser, CEO of Solar Promotion GmbH.

Along with exhibitors at Intersolar Europe in Munich, exhibitors at Intersolar North America in San Francisco are now entitled to enter for the first time. "By expanding the sphere of participants we want to do justice to the internationalization and growing interconnection of the industry and its technologies. Our aim is to continue to promote competition and to highlight the industry's potential across the world," explains Klaus W. Seilnacht, CEO of FWTM.

The prize winners will be chosen in a multi-stage selection process. Firstly, a specialist panel will select the ten best entries in the categories Solar Thermal Technology, Photovoltaics and PV Production Technology. A jury of experts from research, science, industry and trade media will then award the winners in each of the three fields with the Intersolar AWARD 2010.

The winners will be presented with their awards as part of an official ceremony during the course of the trade fair on June 9 at the Innovation Exchange in Hall C3. Given the enormous interest that Intersolar Europe attracts within the industry, the Intersolar AWARD promises a high level of interest for nominees and winners alike. "Together with the organizers of Intersolar Europe, we not only want to acknowledge the innovative strength of the solar industry but also to create an incentive for companies to play an active part in shaping the future of lasting energy provision and to compete at an international level," says Carsten Kornig, CEO of BSW-Solar.

Evaluation Criteria

Participation is open only to products, solutions and services being exhibited for the first time at Intersolar Europe or Intersolar North America in 2010, or to those showing significant development compared to previous trade fair exhibits. Submissions must have undergone industrial trials or already be in industrial use. Moreover, they must be classed as especially innovative with regard to their technology and efficiency. The jury will judge submissions based on the extent of their technological innovation, their benefit for industry, the environment and society and their economic viability. The deadline for submissions closes on April 16, 2010.

Interested companies can register in the Exhibitor Service section of the Intersolar Europe website and subsequently gain access to the registration documents download area.

Intersolar Europe will take place in the New Munich Trade Fair Centre from June 9-11.

Further information regarding Intersolar Europe is available online at http://www.intersolar.de

Sponsors of Intersolar Europe

Sponsoring Intersolar Europe are the leading industry associations in the solar field: the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) as the exclusive partner of Intersolar, the German Solar Energy Society (DGS), the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) and the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), with the support of the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA).

About Intersolar

With over 1,900 exhibitors and 77,000 visitors spanning three continents, Intersolar is the world's leading exhibition for the entire solar industry. Today Intersolar Europe is the largest individual Intersolar event. With over 1,400 exhibitors and more than 58,000 visitors in 2009, Intersolar Europe is the world's largest trade fair for the solar industry. It focuses on the fields of photovoltaics and solar thermal technology, and since it was first held has established itself as the industry's leading international trade fair among manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers and service providers alike.

In addition to Intersolar Europe, Intersolar North America was launched in San Francisco in 2008. 2009 then saw the premiere of Intersolar India in Hyderabad. This year Intersolar Asia is represented for the first time with its own pavilion at SOLARCON China in Shanghai. Intersolar Europe is organized by Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG. The trade fairs in North America, India and China are organized by the subsidiaries Solar Promotion International GmbH, Pforzheim and Freiburg Management und Marketing International GmbH (FMMI).

You can find further information on Intersolar Europe at http://www.intersolar.de.

    Contact:

    Solar Promotion GmbH | Postfach 100 170 | 75101 Pforzheim | Germany
    Horst Dufner | Tel.: +49(0)7231-58598-0 | Fax: +49(0)7231-58598-28
    [email protected]

    Press contact:

    fischerAppelt Kommunikation Munchen GmbH
    Infanteriestrasse 11a | 80797 Munchen | Germany

    Robert Schwarzenbock | Tel. +49(0)89-747466-23 | Fax +49(0)89-747466-66
    [email protected]

    Iris Funke | Tel. +49(0)89-747466-221 | Fax +49(0)89-747466-66
    [email protected]

SOURCE Intersolar 2010