Following recent tragic natural disasters in Japan, discussions about the worldwide supply of electrical energy have started up again. While nuclear technologies were claimed to be fairly safe, Mother Nature has demonstrated that they are not. Ongoing discussions about nuclear power indicate that most developed countries are aiming to withdraw from this energy source. However, this leaves the question open how and where such quantities of energy will be generated. Renewable energy has become a frequently used term, focusing in the western world on geothermic systems, wind power and solar energy. All three will cover part of our huge demand, but further developments are required to enhance and optimise such systems, not only with respect to energy generation, but also in distribution. This article reviews recent equipment developments from Germany's Ernst Pennekamp for the annealing of solar glass.
