Activity in Northern Ireland's renewable energy market is hotting up and it looks like the temperature is set to soar even further. As demand for energy increases – with the amount of electricity demanded in Northern Ireland estimated to be growing by three per cent per annum, so too does the importance of renewable energy as an environmentally friendly way of powering our homes and businesses.
Later today, a multi-million pound equity fund covering renewable projects across Ireland will be launched, providing venture capital for innovative renewable energy companies which will allow them to commercialise their technologies.
The dynamic initiative follows Secretary of State Peter Hain's announcement in February of a raft of new measures as part of a £60m funding package to boost growth in the renewable energy market for Northern Ireland.
Up to 4,000 householders in the Province are being encouraged by the Government through the Environment and Renewable Energy Fund to switch to solar, biomass, wind or geothermal technology systems and take advantage of substantial discounts to change their energy supplies. At present an estimated 400 homes in the Province use renewable energy but within two years it is hoped that figure will increase more than ten-fold.
Given this whirlwind of action, it is timely to shine the light on an innovative Northern Ireland company which has gained a worldwide reputation as a leader in the renewable energy sector.
Bangor-based Thermomax is a pioneer of solar heating technology, with expertise in the design, development and manufacture of systems for cost efficient water heating.
The company, which currently employs 140 at its Balloo Industrial Estate operation, was established in 1981 by the late Iranian entrepreneur Dr Faramarz Mahdjuri, who developed Thermomax's award winning 'heat-pipe' technology.
This centres on vacuum solar panels made up of a series of tubes, which use the sun's heat to warm water or another fluid passing through them.
The fluid is then fed to a heat store (eg a hot water tank) and helps provide hot water or central heating for the building.
The panels work throughout daylight hours, even if the sky is overcast and there is no direct sunshine.
"Once the energy has been collected it is very efficiently transferred into usable heat because the vacuum acts as perfect insulation," explains Kathy McVeigh, Thermomax's commercial manager.
"Ours is recognised worldwide as a high performing system – the core scientific principle has not changed over the years but there have been improvements in the design, making it easier to manufacture and install."
Themomax has a network of distributors across the globe who install the panels on roofs. The systems cost an average of £3,000 and can provide around 60 per cent of hot water requirements to customers.
"Alternative energy has really taken off," says Kathy
"Around 100 of our systems have been installed in Northern Ireland in the last year, where we see a very fast emerging market, and although installations are at a small level at the moment, it looks promising for the future."
The technology-led company, which had a turnover of £10m last year, exports more than 90 per cent of its product range.
Its largest customer base is in Germany, which accounts for 70 per cent of exports.
The systems, which are installed in industrial, commercial and residential premises, are currently used by a wide range of clients across the world including the Pentagon and the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington DC; NASA in Florida; Changi International Airport, Singapore; and Gatwick Airport in London.
The two showpiece installations in America have established the company as a key supplier to US government buildings, which are increasingly implementing green technologies in line with federal and state requirements for greater energy conservation.
"Winning significant contracts from influential customers like the Pentagon and NASA has positioned us to bid for further work from the federal and state authorities as they seek to source and apply the latest energy saving technology," explains Kathy.
Thermomax scored another major contract win in America last year when it supplied the largest solar water heating system in the eastern United States to the University of South Carolina (USC).
The company provided a system of 1,600 solar thermal heat collection tubes to USC for a new environmentally friendly student-housing complex, 'the green dorm', hailed as "the largest residence-hall complex of its kind in the world."
The tubes are located on top of the building and supply 500 students with hot water stored in two 900-gallon storage tanks located in the basement.
"This is a very significant endorsement in the US marketplace of the quality and efficiency of our solar collection systems that are designed and manufactured in Northern Ireland," says Kathy.
"We secured this important project in direct competition with other suppliers in the US and from other parts of the world.
"The contract will be immensely important as we seek to strengthen our position as a solar technology leader in the US, a market now growing strongly because of soaring oil prices and recently introduced energy legislation to promote greater use of renewable power sources."
The Bangor firm was also recently chosen to supply its heating system to a showpiece Renewable Energy House (REH) in Brussels which has been modified from a 120-year-old existing building.
The house, developed by the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), uses renewable technologies to provide all the power required for heating, cooling and electricity.
Thermomax's latest coup is to supply its award-winning solar water heating system for two ground breaking housing developments in England – one of which has been given the royal seal of approval.
The first involves a new and prestigious sustainable scheme at Upton near Northampton, for English Partnerships, the UK national regeneration agency.
Developers Cornhill Estates and Fairclough Homes have chosen Thermomax products for 1,200 new energy-efficient homes that will also use other renewable technologies such as photovoltaic panels for electricity, water recycling, sheep's wool insulation and combined heat and power systems.
The second scheme centres on the unique Poundbury village development, a 400-acre site in Dorset that has been designed under the supervision of Prince Charles within his Duchy of Cornwall estate to include extensive use of renewable technologies and materials.
"Being selected for such pioneering projects as Upton and the Poundbury village is a marvellous endorsement of our advanced technology," says Kathy.
"Faced with spiralling energy costs, designers and architects are now increasingly incorporating our technology in residential, commercial and industrial developments.
"They are being attracted by the established performance of our products in harnessing thermal power, even in colder climates in northern Europe, to heat water and thereby reduce dependence on increasingly expensive fossil fuel energy sources," she adds.
Central to the company's success is the focus on constant research and development. Thermomax even has its own weather station perched on top of its Bangor facility to enable researchers to monitor the performance and different applications of products under different conditions.
"We believe very much that our future lies in continually offering new products," stresses Kathy.
"We have a product launch in June for a new generation of our solar panels and are very excited about that. Our team is dedicated to developing new products and improving our existing range."
The company has also scooped a host of prestigious awards in recognition of its business excellence including two Queen's Awards for Exports. Last year the company won a top international design award for innovative products – the first company from Northern Ireland to gain the top award from Industrie Forum (iF) Design GmbH of Hannover.
Expansion is very much on the horizon. The company, which has smaller manufacturing operations in Italy and Wales, where it plans to invest £1m, intends to create an extra 50 new jobs before the end of the year at the Bangor plant, taking the workforce to 190.
The target is to increase sales in Europe and raise the export level by 30 per cent.
"We targeted Spain and France and the UK two years ago with good results and would like to increase sales in these countries. We are now looking at further potential in the US," says Kathy.
However, she admits the market is still very immature and there is the inclination to regard anyone involved in the renewable energy sector as being a bit 'eccentric'.
"People's awareness of it in the UK is not great.
"I would like solar panels to become more main stream – and not be considered something that is strange. They should be considered a natural part of heating systems in homes and businesses. I would like to see it regarded as an accessory to your heating system rather than an expensive add on."
For now at least, it seems as though people are slowly warning to the idea.