The two specialists for thermal solar collectors, located in Ithaca (New York) and Spittal (Carinthia), are uniting their market and technology expertise to jointly benefit from the rapidly growing U.S. market.
Adam Farrell (CEO of SunMaxx Solar) and Klaus Mischensky (CEO of GEO-TEC Solar Industries) announced in mid-July that the decision about a new production site in the US for the manufacturing of thermal solar collectors and system components is imminent. Compared to Austria, the U.S. market is still underdeveloped. In each of the years 2008 and 2009, the United States produced about 200,000 square meters of collector surface. In Austria it was 350,000 square meters per year.
Recently, some U.S. states have significantly increased their subsidies for solar systems. Between 2006 and 2009, SunMaxx Solar grew by 1,000 percent every year, says Adam Farrell. The collectors and sophisticated technology from Carinthia are a success in the U.S., but, according to Klaus Mischensky, the long route of transport is a permanent obstacle. For that reason, the decision was made to invest in a local production facility. Adam Farrell has several options in mind. One of them is his home state of New York.
GEO-TEC and SunMaxx
GEO-TEC is one of the pioneers of Austrian solar thermal energy and has been in the market for 14 years. Last year, 100,000 square meters of collectors were sold, most of them abroad. GEO-TEC products can now be found in more than 20 countries. SunMaxx is a leading provider of solar hot water systems in both the domestic and industrial sector. Reference projects are hotels in Aspen, Colorado, or Cornell University in New York City. Soon, a dormitory of the famous Harvard University will be equipped with SunMaxx collectors. In 2009, the company won the title of "Best Solar Project" for the solar hot water supply of a prison in New York.
Photovoltaic Feed