Solar thermal collectors in operation globally came to 217 million square meters, with China leading, followed by Europe and the US / Canada. In the coming years we should also be watching growth trends in the Middle East (mainly Israel and Jordan) as well as some African countries.

The use of solar thermal energy is primarily for hot water and space heating. There is a trend to expand its use into plants serving multi-family houses, hotels and for district heating.

While some manufacturers of solar PV panels have begun to vertically integrate, driven by the need to reduce production costs through economies of scale, some are adopting new technology (thin-film) to achieve the same. This need for more integration and size has also been fueled by the prospects for large PV power-plants, where engineering, procurement and construction ask for producers that can obtain finance and even advise on suitable locations and system design. Most of these players need to be familiar with local legal, administrative and grid connection requirements.

Players in solar thermal have been somewhat ignorant of the above developments, since most of their installations have been off-grid. Right now there is a potential to differentiate solar thermal through system integration with PV and long-term heat-storage solutions. This combination would allow the end-user to use the poor efficiency of PV modules, in an off-grid mode by feeding integrated heat-pumps and long-term hot-water storage

For many years, most companies have been specializing in a single activity within the value chain.  As most European countries are phasing out their incentives, growth can only continue if suppliers integrate their offerings. The synergy of integrating PV and solar thermal into one collector, does open up potential savings in material use, reduction of production and installation costs if this is achieved through the adoption of light-weight polymeric solutions. In addition, PVT modules have an aesthetic advantage over a side-by-side application of PV and solar thermal collectors.

The large-scale introduction in Europe of integrated PVT systems (based on light-weight polymeric components) can generate substantial financial savings. Another key marketing issue is the development of plug-and-play methods for the integration of complete PVT solar systems, including their real-time (app) monitoring capability that enables manufacturers and installers to quickly detect faults and unexpected system behavior .

JSP is currently working on such an integrated PVT – heatpump and storage solution. Talk to us if you want to join us on that trip as a component supplier or specialized installer.

Global applications for Natural fiber composites are expected to reach $ 2.Ibn in 2011 due to rising prices of petroleum based products, strong government support for eco-friendly products, higher acceptance and positive growth in different end use industries.

Plant fibers are lighter than glass, carbon and aramid fibers. The biodegradability of plant fibers can contribute to ecosystems while their high performance meets most industrial applications.

Natural fiber-reinforced plastics are amongst the most environmentally friendly materials. When natural fiber-reinforced plastics are combusted or land-filled, their release of CO2 is neutral with respect to the assimilated amount during their growth.

Natural fibers also tend to be less abrasive which leads to advantages during in processing and recycling of their respective composite materials. Increasing numbers of automotive components previously made from glass fiber composites are now being manufactured using environmentally friendly composites.

Although natural fibers and the composites derived from them are environmentally friendly and renewable, they continue to suffer from poor wettability and incompatibility with several polymeric matrices due to their high moisture absorption. As a result, composite materials made from these unmodified plant fibers frequently exhibit unsatisfactory mechanical properties. To overcome this, surface treatment or compatibilizing need to be considered prior or during composite fabrication.

Properties are often improved both through physical or chemical treatments, which helps their mechanical properties.

While natural fibers such as flax, kenaf, hemp have been the material of choice in automotive, wood plastic composites are preferred in building and construction products.

We are convinced that higher specific properties of natural fiber composites can be achieved, thereby making them an attractive solution for many application areas. Good anti-vibration properties & lower costs are key drivers for their adoption in the sporting goods segment; golf clubs may be made from composites using jute fibers, whereby tennis rackets may be stiffened with coconut hair. Bicycle frames are already deriving their strength from bamboo and other plant-fiber reinforced plastics.

The automotive industry has been using composites based on textile waste for years. These materials are mainly based on polypropylene, incorporating fibers such as flax, hemp, and jute.

JSP is currently taking a closer look at natural fiber composites, also in an attempt to come up with truly alternative technology to many of todays petroleum based materials and without the idea of simply greenwashing existing solutions. Our focus is on plant based fibers with improved interfacial bonding thereby reducing moisture pickup. It is clear that surface modification of our fibers will be the key parameter that will determine the success of some of these projects. JSP is working on several possibilities.