Intersolar Europe / Munich, June 4-6, 2014 / RENEWABLE HEATING FORUM AT INTERSOLAR EUROPE 2014

Munich (ots) - With a share of 40%, the heating market accounts
for the largest proportion of energy consumed in Germany. Renewable
heating systems therefore hold considerable potential for reducing
the country's CO2 emissions. At the same time, modern heating systems
that use renewable sources of energy could help to slash heating
costs, as rising prices for oil and gas are increasingly becoming the
critical cost factor for private households, tradesmen and industrial
companies alike. Added to this we are seeing energy-related disputes
with countries in politically unstable regions - regions on which the
German energy industry remains heavily dependent. Intersolar Europe
is therefore pushing this topic to the fore in its new focus area
Renewable Heating. For the first time, the exhibition is staging a
three-day forum spotlighting the technologies, current guidelines and
political frameworks in this field. The Forum on Renewable Heating in
hall C4 of the exhibition will be opened on June 4, 2014 at 10:30am
by Hans-Josef Fell, President of the Energy Watch Group, Germany, in
a presentation entitled "One hundred percent renewable heating - also
a necessity for independence from Russian energy sources."

The solar thermal systems and wood pellet boilers installed in
Germany prior to 2013 could replace energy imports worth 33 billion
euros over the next 20 years. This is equivalent to an output of some
300 terawatt hours (TWh), or the annual energy needs of 1.25 million
households, during this period. The potential for use of such systems
in Germany is far from being exhausted, however. Reason enough to
think more deeply about renewable heating systems as an alternative
to energy imports, and not least because the crisis in Ukraine and
the strained relations between Russia and the EU could also affect
Europe's gas supply in the medium term. A recent study by the
Berlin-based Energy Watch Group shows that the only way to gain
energy independence from Russia is by using renewable energy. In
light of the current discussions surrounding energy policy, the forum
thus offers practical solutions to counteract this dependency.
Resource scarcity is therefore just one of the reasons why wind and
solar power, biomass, geothermal energy and hydropower will provide
the energy of the future. The Forum on Renewable Heating showcases
comprehensive solutions and demonstrates new approaches for the
energy transition in the heating market. Numerous presentations at
the forum provide a stage for energy industry experts to discuss the
latest conditions and future technologies.

Expert presentations and discussions

The Forum on Renewable Heating takes place from June 4-6, 2014 in
hall C4 at booth C4.151. After the opening at 10:30am, the first
day's presentations initially focus on the topic of pellet heating
systems. Thereafter, four presentations shed light on heating supply
in municipal districts, and a block of presentations on the topic of
energy storage follows at 4:00pm. Experts from industry and research
will provide information in their presentations on innovative
technologies, current projects and the necessity of alternative
energy sources. Each topic block is concluded with a discussion.

Combined heating systems in vogue

The second day of the Forum on Renewable Heating puts hybrid heat
generation solutions under the spotlight. Here, possibilities for
linking different energy sources are examined and discussed - even
encompassing complete systems for the generation, storage,
distribution and transfer of heat. Combing a decentralized CHP plant
with photovoltaics, for example, may be the ideal solution for a
private home wishing to supply its own power. The first presentation
looks at this topic in detail from 11:00am on June 5. Further
specialist knowledge will be shared in the subsequent presentations
on fuel cells and micro CHP plants. During the afternoon, the forum
turns its attention to the legal framework for solar thermal
technologies and pellet heating systems. The EU Regulation on
eco-design requirements for water heaters and hot water storage tanks
- or energy labeling for short - aims to introduce new minimum
requirements and an energy label for heating systems from 2015
onward. Renewable heating systems will benefit from this new
legislation the most. The potential it offers will be discussed in
the session entitled "Solar thermal technologies: energy labeling -
current status, challenges & opportunities for solar thermal
technology providers".

Expertise on heating system upgrades

Presentations on the third day of the forum center on the topics
of heating system upgrades and heat pump systems. A session on
revisions to the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV 2014) is followed by a
presentation on producing electricity with fuel cells. Another
technology that can be used to replace outdated heating equipment,
and thus contribute to the energy transition, is that of heat pump
systems: Three sessions and a panel discussion are dedicated to new
trends and technologies in this field on the afternoon of June 6.
Hybrid solutions that store electricity as heat, for example those
combining heat pumps and photovoltaics, provide a further topic of
discussion. Ticket holders for the Intersolar Europe exhibition can
attend the Forum on Renewable Heating for free. By introducing the
new topic of Renewable Heating, the world's leading exhibition for
the solar industry and its partners is expanding its portfolio and
thus driving forward the energy transition in the heating market.

Intersolar Europe 2014 takes place from June 4-6 at Messe München.

Further information on Intersolar Europe can be found online at
www.intersolar.de

Partners of Intersolar Europe

Intersolar Europe is supported by the leading solar industry
associations: the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) as an
exclusive partner, the German Solar Energy Society (DGS), the
European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF), the International
Solar Energy Society (ISES), SEMI (Europe), and the platform for
photovoltaic production equipment within the German Engineering
Association (VDMA-PV). With the support of the European Photovoltaic
Industry Association (EPIA).

About Intersolar

With events spanning four continents, Intersolar is the world's
leading exhibition series for the solar industry and its partners. It
unites people and companies from around the world with the aim of
increasing the share of solar power in our energy supply.

Intersolar Europe is the world's largest exhibition for the solar
industry and its partners. It takes place annually at the Messe
München exhibition center in Munich, Germany.

The event's exhibition and conference both focus on the areas of
photovoltaics, PV production technologies, energy storage and solar
thermal technologies/renewable heating technologies. Since being
founded, Intersolar has become the most important industry platform
for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers and
partners of the solar industry.

In 2013, 1,292 international exhibitors and around 47,000 trade
visitors attended Intersolar Europe. More than 400 speakers and over
2,000 conference attendees visited the conference.

With more than 20 years of experience, Intersolar has the unique
ability to bring together members of the solar industry from across
the world's most influential markets. Intersolar exhibitions and
conferences are held in Munich, San Francisco, Mumbai, Beijing and
São Paulo. Starting in 2014, these global events will be complemented
by the Intersolar Summits, which will take place in emerging and
growing markets worldwide.

For the first time this year, the electrical energy storage (ees),
international exhibition for batteries, energy storage and innovative
production, will take place in conjunction with Intersolar Europe.
The ees is covering the entire value chain of innovative battery and
energy storage technologies.

For more information on Intersolar Europe, please visit:
www.intersolar.de/en

Intersolar Europe is organized by Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim
and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG (FWTM).

Contact:

Solar Promotion GmbH
Postfach 100 170
75101 Pforzheim, Germany

Horst Dufner
Tel.: +49 7231 58598-0
Fax: +49 7231 58598-28
info@intersolar.de

Press contact:
fischerAppelt, relations
Infanteriestraße 11a
80797 Munich, Germany

Robert Schwarzenböck
Tel.: +49 89 747466-23
Fax: +49 89 747466-66
rs@fischerAppelt.de