On Friday, May 13, 2022, the Angermünde-based company AKOTEC opened its doors for a political visit. The district administrators and deputy district administrators of the Gryfino, Walcz, and Uckermark district administrations, as well as the EU representative of the Uckermark district and representatives of the relevant departments, visited the solar collector manufacturer.
The administrative board of the Uckermark district described the continued strengthening of partnerships with the Polish districts of Gryfino and Walcz as desirable and invited the two districts to a meeting on May 12/13, 2022, in Uckermark, during which the AKOTEC company was also included.
After a presentation by AKOTEC about its products and projects, the visitors were given a tour of the company’s production hall by Managing Director Katrin Sprenger.
Individual work steps, production processes, and the custom-made special machines quickly made it clear: The Angermünde company specializing in solar thermal energy has developed since its founding in 2008 into a renowned leader in solar thermal collectors. The company’s current order situation confirms this. The interest in renewable energy is greater than ever. However, despite full order books, Managing Director Katrin Sprenger still sees a need for improvement regarding the awareness of solar thermal energy.
“When it comes to renewable energy, the majority of people primarily think of photovoltaics. However, in German households, 87 percent of energy is used for space heating and hot water. Solar thermal energy is a technologically mature and immediately usable method for generating CO₂-neutral heat.”
The district administrators were able to see firsthand the potential of solar thermal energy for the energy transition during their visit. Just like in Germany, the topic of renewable energies is more important than ever in Poland. However, in our neighboring country, the focus of expansion is mainly on wind power and photovoltaics. Therefore, the potential of solar thermal energy for the energy transition was the focal point during the visit of the district administrators.
In particular, the MEGA collector, specially designed by AKOTEC, represents enormous potential for future heat generation for businesses, industries, and entire cities. The large collector for district and local heating, awarded the Innovation Prize Berlin Brandenburg in 2019, offers numerous economic advantages by decoupling from rising oil or gas prices.
The Polish guests showed great interest in the opportunities of solar thermal energy and exchanged ideas with AKOTEC about potential cooperation. Close dialogue and strong professional networking are a great benefit for all parties involved.
The meeting was supported by the European Union with funds from the European Regional Development Fund (small project fund within the framework of the Interreg VA Cooperation Program Mecklenburg-Vorpommern / Brandenburg / Poland in the Euroregion Pomerania).
Funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Energy with funds from the European Social Fund and the State of Brandenburg. Learn more.
