Gerhard Rabensteiner Elected New President of the European Solar Thermal Industry
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European Solar Thermal Industry Federation
PRESS RELEASE Gerhard Rabensteiner elected new president of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation
Brussels, 25 April 2007. Gerhard Rabensteiner, managing director of KIOTO Clear Energy AG, has been elected new president of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federa- tion (ESTIF). He succeeds Ole Pilgaard, who – after more than 4 years at the head of ESTIF – takes on a new position as president of Heliodyne, Inc.in the United States.
Gerhard Rabensteiner, who was one of the founding members of ES- Rabensteiner has in-depth TIF has served as Vice-President of the association since its founda- knowledge of solar thermal tion in 2002. He looks back on many years of experience in solar industry and market thermal as managing director of GREENoneTEC, which is now a part of KIOTO, a holding the Austrian co-founded in 2006. His background gives Mr. Rabensteiner the in-depth knowledge of the solar thermal industry and market which is needed to take up this challenging posi- tion. In addition to this, he has also represented ESTIF on policy is- sues over the last years, for example as speaker at a dinner debate at the European Parliament alongside Ms Mechtild Rothe, now Vice- President of the European Parliament.
His proven experience and his strong commitment to ESTIF helped Announcement made by Mr. Rabensteiner to be elected as president. The announcement of Nigel Cotton, Chairman of the his election was made by Nigel Cotton, Chairman of the ESTIF Advis- ESTIF Advisory Council ory Council at the general assembly of ESTIF, which was held on Fri- day the 20 April at the Solarexpo in Verona, Italy.
ESTIF was founded in 2002 and since then has established itself as a ESTIF initiated campaign for key factor in all areas of solar thermal. As the voice of solar thermal in a Renewable Heating and Brussels, ESTIF promotes solar thermal policies to representatives of Cooling Directivey council the EU institutions. The ESTIF initiated campaign for a Renewable Heating and Cooling Directive has ensured that this sector is no longer forgotten and will be covered by the forthcoming proposal for an overall Renewables Directive.
“With the European council’s decision of March 9th to raise the share Solar Thermal to become of renewable energy sources to 20% by 2020, we have entered a clear winner in new European new phase in the adoption of solar thermal”, says Mr Rabensteiner. commitment towards “As the president of ESTIF I am looking forward to support Solar renewables thermal to become the clear winner of the new European commitment towards renewables. The wide success of Solar thermal installations 2 in Austria shows us the huge opportunities we are facing all over Europe.”
As one of his first official acts as the new president of ESTIF, Mr. Rabensteiner to open 3rd Rabensteiner will open the 3rd European Solar Thermal Energy Con- European Solar Thermal ference, estec2007, which takes place 19-20 June 2007 in Freiburg, Energy Conference Germany. Estec has developed into the most important conference on solar thermal and will attract participants from all over the world.
Ole Pilgaard, who was ESTIF’s first president, is taking up a new Former ESTIF president Ole challenge as President of Heliodyne in the US. With his strong dedic- Pilgaard to take up new ation and hard work, Mr. Pilgaard was at the forefront of shaping ES- position in the US TIF and its role in the European solar thermal environment for more than 4 years. In the name of all ESTIF members, Nigel Cotton, Chair- man of ESTIF’s Advisory Council, thanked Ole Pilgaard at the Gener- al Assembly. ESTIF wishes him and his family all the best for their new life in the US.
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Further Information: ESTIF weblink: www.estif.org estec2007 weblink: www.estec2007.org
ESTIF is proud to support the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign: www.sustenergy.org
Press Contact:
Monika Kloss, Communications Manager
ESTIF Renewable Energy House Rue d’Arlon 63-65 B-1040 Bruxelles Belgium
Tel. office: +32 2 546 19 38 Tel. mobile: +32 473 46 43 09 e-mail: [email protected] Web: www.estif.org