ESTIF was created in 2002 in order to help facilitate the adoption of a single Europe-wide certification scheme for solar heating collectors. This ambition was achieved a year later with the development of the ‘Solar Keymark’ within the framework of Comité Européen de Normalisation (European Committee for Standardization – CEN) and supported by the ALTENER programme of the European Commission. There are now over 2000 Solar Keymark licensed solar heating collectors and systems.
ESTIF’s work has widened over the years to include the promotion of solar heating across Europe and in support of this aim the company is involved in a variety of activities including standardization, research, innovation, market statistics and framework conditions for solar heat and incentive schemes.
“The work done by ESTIF as a solar heating industry association has played a crucial role in the evolution of both market and industry” said ESTIF President Robin Welling, speaking at the company’s ten year reception. “I firmly believe that the industry must support associations and even increase its commitment at a time when developments in the market could lead to disengagement.”
At the ESTIF General Assembly the following day, Mr Welling, TiSUN GmbH Managing Director, was elected for a second mandate. Two directors were also re-elected, José Antonio Pérez from the heating multinational BDR Thermea and Harald Drück from the Stuttgart-based research and test institute ITW. Three new directors join the Board: Lothar Breidenbach, Technical Director of BDH (Bundesindustrieverband Deutschland Haus-, Energie- und Umwelttechnik e.V.), the German Heating Industry Federation; Peter Gawlik, Managing Director of Sonnenkraft Deutschland GmbH, the major brand of General Solar Systems, a subsidiary of the Danish group SolarCAP and Jörg Mayer, Managing director of BSW (Bundesverband Solarwirtschaft e.V.), the German Solar Industry Association.
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