The "home+" building project submitted by Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences (HFT) came third at the international architectural "Solar Decathlon Europe 2010" competition in Madrid. The prototype for a home of the future came first in the individual categories "Innovation" and "Design". Sunways AG (FWB: SWW; ISIN DE0007332207) supported the project with expertise in building-integrated PV, coloured solar cells for the building envelope and inverters. Additional assistance for energy planning and building automation was provided by Baumgartner GmbH, Kippenheim. A total of 17 universities from several countries took part in the competition. In addition to Germany, Spain, France, Great Britain, Finland, China and the USA were represented. The exhibition showcasing the houses attracted 190,000 visitors.
Buildings are responsible for one third of global energy consumption. It is therefore important to make buildings as energy efficient as possible. Participants in the "Solar Decathlon", which took place for the first time in 2002, are faced with the task of designing and building a home with an energy supply system based solely on solar energy. The assessment is based on 10 criteria, including architecture, solar energy supply, idea/concept and marketability. The aim of the competition is to increase awareness for energy-efficient building and utilisation of renewable energy among the construction trade and the public. At the same time the Solar Decathlon intends to illustrate that the utilisation of renewables is compatible with high occupant comfort and sophisticated architecture.
What will the houses of the future look like? This question was tackled by the team of students, assistants and professors from HFT Stuttgart headed by Prof. Dr. Jan Cremers. Their answer was "home+". The name stands for a home that generates more energy than it uses. It is characterised by the integration of different energy elements. The building envelope is characterised by an integrated photovoltaic (PV) system with coloured silicon solar cells as a distinguishing feature. During the night the 'energy envelope' generates cold water. The PV modules on the roof were equipped with guide plates and pipe coils at the rear. Water flowing through the pipes is cooled by the night sky. This dual utilisation of the PV area is a promising approach for hot regions.
Sunways provided bronze and gold coloured multicrystalline solar cells for the PV façade of "home+". Black monocrystalline solar cells were used in the special roof modules. The PV system consisting of 3,700 solar cells was complemented by five Sunways inverters. The system is capable of generating around 10,600 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.
© Sunways AG 2012
