collector production

South African company Ikhwezi Solar (Pty) Ltd announced in mid-July that its new solar thermal flat plate manufacturing plant has become fully operational. The factory's annual production capacity is 22,000 collectors, which are manufactured on a single shift basis. Before starting its own collector production, the company based in East London, at the southeast coast of South Africa, had specialised in supplying and installing solar thermal collectors for both South Africa's commercial and domestic market. “We decided to capitalise on the momentum created in South Africa, with the focus having moved much to renewable energy,” Executive Director of Ikhwezi Solar, Pieter Bosch, explains.
Photo: Ikhwezi Solar

The ISH is becoming increasingly international. At the beginning of this March, the world´s largest trade fair for bathroom, building, energy and climate technology in Frankfurt, Germany, has counted significantly more international visitors than ever before. 35 % of the 204,000 trade visitors came from abroad (2009: 29 %), whereas the total number of visitors almost stagnated (+1.5 %). The ISH is the trade fair of the European heating industry. The five largest corporations - Bosch Thermotechnik, Vaillant, Viessmann from Germany, BDR Thermea, Netherlands, and Ariston from Italy - dominated Hall 8 with huge stands. Solarthermalworld.org presents some of the trends it discovered in the solar thermal product portfolio of Europe's heating business.
Photo: ISH 2011

German heating systems manufacturer Viessmann operates a solar process heat system at its factory in Faulquemont, France. 260 m² of the new heat pipe vacuum tube collector Vitosol 200-T have been installed on the roof and at the facade of the building. The system is used for heating up an alkaline cleaning bath to up to 60°C, in order to degrease hot water storage units before enamelling.
Photo: Viessmann

There are two suppliers of punching machines from Israel challenging each other to have been the first to market on the market: Ravid Solar Solutions and Dagan Machine Engineering. The history of both companies shows certain parallels, as both companies were founded by former employers of Israeli collector manufacturers. The photo shows a fully automated punching machine by Ravid Solar Solutions.
Photo: Ravid Solar Solutions

Aluminium fins by Indian company Maharaja Techno Chromes: According to the manufacturer, the laser-welded fins are nearly 60 % less expensive than copper ones and market acceptance is satisfying. Efficiency is certainly still a bit lower.
Photo: Jaideep Malaviya

Chile's first - and so far, only - collector manufacturer is producing its collectors at the Colina 1 jail in Santiago de Chile. The workers earn a wage which allows them to help their family. In 2009, the workshop produced 1,500 m² of collectors with copper fins.
Photo: Britec

New absorber production process: The so-called Omega absorbers by Austrian company Estec Energiespartechnik Süd consist of coated aluminium plates, harp-type copper pipes and omega-form aluminium sheets. In order to join plate and sheet, the company uses an entirely automated clinching machine developed by Austrian machinery supplier RG Fertigungstechnik.
Photo: RG Fertigungstechnik

State-owned Azerenergy Construction Company (AZENCO), which is based in Azerbaijan in the Caucasian region, started producing solar thermal collectors at the beginning of August and will very soon produce solar tanks, too. The investment was initiated by a state programme, which aims at installing solar heating systems in public buildings.

Solar exterior with collectors produced in Slovakia: The company Thermosolar has just recently invested EUR 1.5 million in upgrading the machinery in its factory in Žiar nad Hronom, in order to increase productivity and reach a manufacturing capacity of 500,000 m² per year.
Photo: Thermosolar

New enamelling factory of Emmvee Solar in India: The plant is part of the new factory and office complex near the city of Bangalore. 
Photo: Emmvee