Portadown-based company, Kingspan Renewables, has just been announced as the winner of the Green-Tech category in the InterTrade Ireland All-island Innovation Awards.

Their Varisol light has been designed to revolutionise the world of solar thermal technology, thanks to its unique features.

Using high performance polymer materials, Varisol, is the first modular vacuum tube solar collector.

Each solar vacuum tube has a Varisol connector attached, allowing each tube to click together bringing solar hot water to any size building.

Gerard Whelan, the Managing Director, pictured here with the product along with Andrea Fordham, Marketing Manager, Kevin McNamee, Finance Director and John Reid, Design Engineer, continued: "After injecting a substantial investment into the product and three years' research and development, Varisol is now accounting for a significant part of our business.

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"This is due to its versatile features which have opened up the use of solar technology to buildings where this simply wouldn't have been possible before, therefore increasing the market across the globe," he said.

Now in its second year, the Irish Times InterTradeIreland All-island Innovation Awards aim to recognise and promote the best service, product or operational innovations throughout the island.

Over 120 companies entered the seven categories of the competition.

Twenty one of these were then shortlisted for the awards by a judging panel, before the final winners were selected.

Commenting on the awards, Liam Nellis, Chief Executive of InterTradeIreland and Chair of the Innovation awards final judging panel, said: "Despite the economic situation, we have been extremely encouraged by the level and diversity of innovations represented by our finalists and winners.

"Not only do they have strong ideas and innovative processes, crucially, they are market-led and market-focused.

"I'm delighted that these awards have managed to achieve exactly what they set out to do, which is to showcase the best examples of innovation on the island," he said.

(BMcC/GK)