Fresh ideas were required when more than 60 students of Applied Media Studies presented their PR concepts at the Ilmenau University of Technology at the end of the summer semester.
The four ordering parties also included Solar Millennium AG, who had requested the young academics to prepare a concept for an online communication strategy.
The task was part of the practical “PR concept” seminar that the Ilmenau University of Technology and the Kaltwasser Kommunikation agency from Nuremberg have been offering for students in the fourth term for more than ten years. Solar Millennium AG commenced its cooperation with the University in April 2011. Following three months of intensive work, three teams of students now presented their social media strategies, image films and other creative measures in the scope of a competition. In addition to the companies involved, the judging panel also included representatives from the Institute of Media and Communication Studies and Kaltwasser Kommunikation.
In preparing their concepts, the media students first carried out an as-is analysis. This also included conducting a poll among journalists and investors. The results showed that online media is gaining more and more significance over print media: 60% of shareholders rely primarily on online sources to obtain information on Solar Millennium; 70% want more information on the technology; 90% wish to find more specific information on new and ongoing projects on the website. Sven Moormann, Head of Corporate Communications of Solar Millennium AG, is pleased with the response: “We would like to express our thanks for the extensive feedback – all in all, more than 100 interested persons participated in the online poll, thus supporting the students’ efforts”. He further states: “The large success of the Video Library and the YouTube channel launches with more than 15,000 visits since March 2011 highlights the great interest, particularly on the part of investors and shareholders, to receive as much information as possible online.”
Solar Millennium AG, Erlangen, (ISIN DE0007218406) is an international company in the renewable energy sector, with its main focus on solar-thermal power plants. Together with its subsidiaries and associates, the Company specializes in parabolic trough power plants and has managed to take a globally leading position in this field. Solar Millennium strives to further extend its expertise in the area of solar-thermal power plants with the aim of achieving and securing sustainable technology leadership. As such, the Company covers all important business sectors along the value chain for solar-thermal power plants: from project development and financing to the technology and the turnkey construction and operation of power plants. In Spain, Solar Millennium developed Europe’s first parabolic trough power plants and realized these together with partners. Additional projects are planned around the world with an overall capacity of more than 2,000 megawatts: here the current regional focus is on Spain, the US, the Middle East and North Africa.
Solar-thermal power plants generate electricity by converting solar radiation into heat energy. In a parabolic trough power plant, trough-shaped mirrors concentrate the incidental radiation onto a pipe in the focal line of the collector. Its absorption heats a fluid heat medium in the pipe, generating steam in the power block through a heat exchanger. As in conventional power plants, the steam powers a turbine to generate electricity. By integrating thermal storage, electricity can be supplied on demand, even after sunset.
Solar Millennium intends to incorporate the findings and ideas in its future online strategy, especially in the design of its internet presence. Interest persons can now also obtain information and news via www.facebook.com/solarmillennium
