(1888PressRelease)
June 11, 2009 - Surface Power Solar, a developer and manufacturer of solar power products based in Mayo, says it has agreed to supply The Moritz Group with its SP501 Solar Hot Water Collector over a five-year period.
The Moritz Group, a leading Irish-based distributor to the construction industry, employs more than 180 people in Ireland and a further 100 people indirectly through its various interests.
Commenting on the link-up with The Moritz Group, Surface Power founder John Quinn said: “The Moritz Group have an established distribution system and have approached the market in a professional way seeking out the best technologies, backed up with training options and support. The company’s history of customer satisfaction and industry recognition makes for a valued partner. We look forward to building a relationship that will help drive growth and jobs for both companies in 2009.”
“This agreement provides us with a solid distribution channel in Ireland enabling us to completely focus on our expansion efforts. Surface Power Solar has already achieved product approval in over 25 countries and expects to add the USA, Canada and Australia over the coming months”, added Mr. Quinn.
Moritz Trading Director Dennis O’Connor said: “The Moritz Group was determined to secure distribution rights to what we believe is the most effective solar hot water product in the market. We recognise that solar technology is constantly evolving, and innovative and high performance solutions like the SP501 Solar Hot Water Collector system are necessary for us to stay competitive in this industry. The extensive certification, ground breaking performance and R&D that went into the solar hot water collector designed for the Irish climate give us confidence to distribute the product to our customers.”
Mr. O’Connor noted: “With building regulations making solar virtually mandatory and the retrofit market experiencing increased growth, we needed to secure distribution of a product that guarantees our customers the best Building Energy Rating (BER) on their homes. Through working with Surface Power Solar, we not only have sourced what we feel is the best retrofit solar hot water technology on the world market but one that has been researched, designed and developed by an Irish company. Supporting Irish jobs is an additional bonus for this deal.”
The distribution agreement with The Moritz Group is expected to be the first of several agreements to be signed by Surface Power Solar during 2009. According to Marketing Director Caroline McAndrew: “We are in the unique situation where we are being approached by foreign government departments to ensure that we will be distributing this technology in their country. The fact that our solar hot water technology is cheaper to deploy but it is more powerful so governments and consumers can achieve their Co2 targets quicker for less money.”
“The world market for the solar collector was worth in excess of 10 billion dollars in 2008 and has grown by 300% since 1998. We expect the international home renovation market to be very strong during the next three years, as our collector is the only pre-packaged vacuum collector on the world market. This leads to quicker, simpler and cheaper installations”, she added.
Surface Power estimates that the SP501 product, which has undergone six years of development and testing, has the potential to reduce domestic and commercial hot water bills by up to 70% if insulation standards meet new building regulations. Independent Certification by the world’s leading testing house has shown that when compared to other leading solar hot water collectors the collector was up to 131% more efficient in morning and evening time and 76% more efficient at midday.
Steven Allen, Sales Director noted that the SP501 had been compared to 52 other collectors, which hold the prestigious Solar Keymark certification, and the results of the comparative testing were excellent. “The biggest difference that was achieved in comparison results was that against flat plate collectors. It is great to see the end of a product development cycle and a huge spike in enquiries from the renovation market in Europe and USA, we have several more products in development and plan to release one per year”, he said.
Outlining the benefits of using the solar collector, Mr Allen stated: “The SP501 is a hot water type designed specifically for the retrofit market although it is perfectly suitable also for new builds. It was designed to deal specifically with Irish climatic conditions such as wind, rain and cloud. Solar hot water can be used in domestic homes and commercial applications such as shower rooms, hotels and swimming pools. It may be classified as new technology and simpler to use and install but it is not more expensive to produce. Its cost per kW is its biggest advantage while it can generate up to 70% savings on hot water bills when coupled with an insulation upgrade, we can reduce the cost of achieving a solar installation by 50% when measured against efficiency.”
Established in 2003, Surface Power’s R&D programs are almost seven years running and the company has amassed a significant product portfolio in advance of targeting key world export markets for solar and wind renewables. The Údarás na Gaeltachta and Enterprise Ireland-backed firm has played a central role in the development of the domestic Renewable sector in Ireland, especially micro generation.
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