Solar energy is steadily gaining in importance in the strongly expanding market for “clean” energy sources. Since 2002, we have established ourselves as a partner to the worldwide solar industry through a variety of collaborative projects. As a long-term partner of one of the largest solar module producers in Europe, we helped to develop a new technology that converts 30 to 40 percent more energy than conventional solar modules. A two-axis motion system enables the solar modules to track the course of the sun. The challenge was to reliably bond galvanized steel mounts to the solar modules. In all tests, Terostat MS proved to be an excellent high-tech adhesive. It is weather resistant, even when exposed to extreme climatic conditions such as strong ultraviolet radiation and wind speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour. Further applications for Terostat MS, such as bonding mirrors for thermal solar power plants, are already being planned.

Our sealants support the automotive industry’s efforts to produce increasingly efficient, energy saving engines, and so to reduce harmful emissions. Oils for engine lubricants make a major contribution to cutting fuel consumption and help to minimize wear. However, some oils contain very aggressive ingredients that can corrode the sensitive sealing materials in the engine. To satisfy the needs of the automotive industry, we have developed Loctite 5810A, a polyacrylate-based elastic sealant. It is nine times more impermeable to harmful volatile organic hydrocarbons than conventional sealants and far less sensitive to aggressive ingredients. With the help of Loctite 5810A, one of our customers in the automotive sector has already succeeded in satisfying the stringent demands of the U.S. standard for low-emission vehicles (“partial zero emissions vehicles”). These are vehicles whose level of emission is 90 percent below that of an average new car.

Rising energy costs, the growing energy consciousness of Americans, and more affordable solutions for energy-efficient building are currently driving up demand for “green” building materials in the USA. A survey by Green Builder Media and Imre Communications shows that 11 to 25 percent of house builders value green building materials and are prepared to pay a higher price for them. With our Osi Green Series we have launched a number of green adhesives and sealants in the U.S. market. Throughout the product range, we have cut the percentage by weight of volatile organic compounds from 25 to 35 percent to less than 2 percent while simplifying ease of use. We were therefore able to meet the requirements for certification by the Greenguard Environmental Institute, an independent organization in the USA, which establishes indoor air quality standards for various kinds of products. The use of the Osi Green Series also helps to qualify buildings for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification of their energy efficiency. LEED is an officially recognized assessment system which exclusively certifies green buildings.

On average, almost 22 percent of the heat in a house is lost through windows and doors. This is often due to inadequately sealed joints and connections to the adjoining masonry. In contrast, well insulated windows and doors keep the heat inside the rooms longer, thereby helping to lower energy consumption and heating costs. With the Windows Technology Quality System (WINTeQ System), we have developed a range of products under the Teroson brand name for sealing the joints of wood, plastic and metal windows and doors. These products help to considerably reduce energy losses from the home. As a comprehensive approach to preventing heat losses, WINTeQ provides modular individual solutions for each problem. In addition to flexible insulating foams and sealants for joints and cavities, it offers compressed foam sealing strips and vaporpermeable sealing films for the outside of windows, as well as vapor-impermeable sealing films for the inside. Heat bridges and drafts are thus efficiently avoided, while buildings are simultaneously protected against dampness and mold. The heat that escapes through windows and doors, whether in old buildings or new, is reduced to a minimum.  WINTeQ helps craftsmen and construction professionals in Germany, for example, to satisfy the demanding requirements of the Energy Saving Ordinance.

Climatic conditions in many regions of Mexico are extreme. In the north, the days are often very hot, with temperatures climbing far above 40 degrees Celsius. Air conditioning and fans bring some relief, but are expensive and consume a great deal of energy. As an alternative, Henkel has developed a roof coating that not only reliably seals the roof, but also protects the house against heat and thus helps to save costs. The coatings, which are applied directly to the roof like thick paint, lower the temperature in the building. Imperfácil, aimed at the DIY market, can bring about a reduction of up to eight degrees Celsius, and Acriton, for professionals, up to twelve. This is partly achieved through more efficient reflection of sunlight. The crucial element, however, is the use of a latent heat storage system. Small wax spheres in the coating melt and store the heat during the day. When the temperature falls, the wax releases this heat and is ready for the next hot day. Air conditioning and other thermal protection measures are therefore no longer needed or can be considerably scaled down.

In many countries in Eastern Europe, old buildings often lack thermal insulation. Henkel’s Ceresit thermal insulation systems solve this problem at relatively low cost and effort. Flexible system solutions from Ceresit can be readily customized to meet all of the individual requirements of insulating boards, adhesive mortar, and external plaster in a particularly effective way. The result: More comfortable housing and savings of up to 30 percent in heating costs. The system can also be used to provide buildings with heat protection, therefore cutting the energy costs of air conditioning units.

In close cooperation with partners and the automotive industry, Henkel is developing an alternative to zinc phosphating, which for decades has been the standard method for inhibiting corrosion of the sheet metal used for car bodies and providing a suitable substrate for surface coatings. With Bonderite NT, we have already established a qualitatively, ecologically and economically superior alternative to iron phosphating. The nanoceramic coating method is used, for example, in the production of refrigerators, office furniture, supermarket shelves, and agricultural machinery. Now we are developing a solution that will enable us to offer these benefits to the automotive industry as well. The goal is to satisfy the extremely demanding requirements for car bodies and for the new method to be in use in the first car production lines within two years. The new technology is to offer the best possible protection against corrosion. In comparison with zinc phosphating, the new method should also significantly reduce energy consumption and – by drastically cutting the amount of heavy metals – the cost of wastewater treatment and disposal.

New vehicles are expected to be more comfortable and safer than their predecessors, but at the same time lighter and therefore more economical. Technologies from Henkel help car manufacturers to reconcile these contradictory requirements. Cooperation often starts in the design phase, years before the new model comes off the production line. The amount and positioning of Terokal structural adhesives and Terocore structural foams are jointly defined, so that the lightest possible car can be developed, but with maximum strength and optimal crash-resistance. The use of direct glazing adhesives for example to fit car windshields has long been standard practice. The windshield thus contributes to the structural integrity of the car body. Structural adhesives are also increasingly being used alongside traditional joining techniques such as welding and riveting for other component parts. They distribute loads evenly over a larger area, absorb impact energy more effectively if an accident should occur, and create stronger and stiffer bonds. Moreover, Terokal structural adhesives can also be used to join different materials such as steel and aluminum. Optimal utilization of the diverse properties of materials makes it possible to design vehicles that are much lighter and yet safer.

The development of lightweight and fuel-saving components is a key challenge for the aircraft industry. Henkel and Airbus are working together to develop the technologies for the next generation of planes combining light weight with higher capacity. Composites, usually made of carbon-fiber-reinforced resins, are one option that presents itself. To ensure superior performance, they have to be cured under pressure in special ovens. Up to now, they have therefore been difficult and expensive to manufacture. With an innovative resin technology, Henkel aims to establish the basis for using these lightweight materials on an industrial scale. This should even make it possible to utilize fiber-reinforced composites for aircraft wings and fuselages. The new resins will be easier and safer to handle, and capable of curing within minutes at room temperature. Their greater rigidity, lower weight, and less complex processing methods will benefit both aircraft manufacturers and airlines. The new materials should bring about significant cuts in production costs and in fuel consumption over an aircraft´s service life.

Use of the new materials in the fuselages of the next aircraft generation, for example the A380, is expected to reduce their weight by 30 percent - and costs by 40 percent. As a partner to Airbus and a systems supplier offering surface treatment and bonding technologies to the aircraft industry, Henkel is thus opening up a new market with excellent growth prospects.

In Europe and the USA, wind energy is second only to hydroenergy as an alternative source of power. The rotor blades of wind turbines, which can be up to 60 meters long, are made from fiber-reinforced plastics using special molds. The molds subsequently have to be cleaned, usually manually, with the help of a variety of solvents. Drawing on its experience of surface cleaning technologies and the processing of composite materials, Henkel developed the surfactant-based cleaner Frekote 915 WB. It contains 70 percent less solvent and is gentle to the sensitive surfaces. Frekote 915 WB leaves no residues and cleans the molds much more efficiently and quickly. Just one year after launching this product, Henkel has established itself as one of the leading producers of cleaners for molds used in the production of rotor blades and other fiber-reinforced plastic components. The product rollout has already started in Europe, Asia and the USA.

Solar power is one of the most important renewable energies. At present, however, only a fraction of its potential is being tapped. Up to now, it has not been possible to use many large surfaces in metropolitan areas – such as the flat roofs of warehouses, shopping malls, schools, and office buildings – as they are not designed to support the weight of conventional solar cells and their fastenings. Solar Integrated Technologies (SIT) of California (USA), is now offering flexible, lightweight, thin solar cells on roofing membranes as a solution to this problem. Henkel, as its strategic partner, is making a major contribution through its industrial adhesives. Purmelt and Macromelt hotmelts securely bond the solar cells and their electrical wiring to the roofing membranes and offer lasting resistance to the elements and ultraviolet solar radiation. The solar cells can be simply rolled out on flat roofs and connected to any number of additional modules.