The three-day exhibition begins June 8 at New Munich Trade Fair Centre in Germany.

This is the third straight year Hydro is participating at Intersolar, and this year, the company is doubling the size of its stand. This reflects customer confidence in aluminium as a material and in Hydro as a supplier for applications increasing in their complexity.

"We are meeting technical challenges, for instance with mirrors for concentrated solar power as well as absorber sheets for solar thermal applications – and with a corrosion-resistant alloy that is tailored for the solar markets," says Oliver Bell, executive vice president in charge of Hydro's rolled products activities.

Hydro has noted several "firsts" in its solar business over the past year. These include:

• Launching the tailored HyLife Solar aluminium alloy
• Launching HyBridAl aluminium strip for concentrated solar power systems
• Launching HySelect coating for solar thermal systems
• First orders for aluminium tubes for solar collectors, in Germany and Poland

"Big or small, our customers are helping us improve as a supplier of materials and products for solar. Developing solutions together is the way forward," says Hans-Joachim Kock, executive vice president responsible for Hydro's extruded products operations.

Hydro delivers to local and global customers all around the world, supplying solar-related products to customers in 20 different countries in Europe alone.

Gaining ground

Aluminium is gaining ground as the material of choice in the solar market. Its benefits include light weight, corrosion resistance, competitive pricing and efficient installation capabilities. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity, reflects sunlight and it is fully recyclable.

Hydro delivers to each of the solar market's three main segments. Starting with tailored alloys, the company continues with sheet material, tubes and other semi-fabricated extruded products.

Capabilities also include mounting systems that are fully fabricated and ready for installation in CSP applications, and building-integrated solar energy systems that are indispensable for zero-energy structures.

Hydro has worked on some of the largest solar-related projects in the world. These include signature projects like the world's first hybrid fossil fuel/CSP generating station, recently completed in Florida.