The 2nd International Conference on Solar Air Conditioning, which was organized by OTTI, took place on October 18th-19th, 2007, at the Palau Firal i Congresos in Tarragona, just after the 1st European Conference on Polygeneration Technologies and Applications. With 273 registrations from 32 different countries, 87% of the participants came from Europe (27% from Germany, 24% from Spain and 10% from Italy). Also, 52% of the attendants came from research institutes and universities, 30% from companies, 15% from engineer bureaus, and 3% from ministries and public organizations.

In his closing remarks, Prof. Dr. Alberto Coronas, Chairman of the Conference, said: “The solar cooling technology is on its way from the pilot plants to market introduction, a critical stage in its development. Some risks have been identified, such as non optimized hydraulic system, control or design, which requires measures for ensuring quality on the whole chain from design, construction, assembly, commissioning and finally maintenance. What is clear is that the next few years will be the most critical and important for the success of solar cooling technology.” He also highlighted the fact that more focused fundamental research is needed (in particular in the adsorption field) on composite materials, thermodynamic cycles, better technological solutions with the goal of reaching higher COPs, lower cost and reliability.

The next conference will be held at the Universita degli Studi di Palermo (Italy) on September 30th – October 2nd 2009, and the chairman will be Prof. Dr. Marco Beccali. According to the organizer’s press release, it will feature some improvements, such as a parallel poster session, keynote speakers and a technical tour in the University of Palermo to visit solar air conditioning installations.