Energy-plus buildings in competition
Last summer Madrid hosted the Solar Decathlon for the first time, which was inspired by the American competition of the same name. In this international competition, student teams are tasked with developing and constructing experimental and pioneering homes that use solar energy as their only energy source.
The recently published BINE-Projektinfo brochure “Buildings of the future successful in decathlon” (04/2011) provides an overview of the competition requirements, the four German entries and their results.
All German concepts achieved optimum thermal insulation by combining well-insulated building envelopes with rigorous sun protection. Each building has a ventilation system with heat recovery and a reversible heat pump. In Madrid it was essential to deploy active systems to control the indoor temperature in order to ensure a pleasant indoor environment in summer. The results of the German teams are very impressive: the students from Rosenheim achieved second place, just behind the winners from the University of Virginia (USA) and ahead of Stuttgart, which came in third. The teams from Wuppertal and Berlin were respectively ranked 6th and 10th.
The next round of the Solar Decathlon Europe will take place in Madrid in 2012. This time university teams from Constance and Aachen will be competing against 18 student groups for the best energy-plus building. The BINE-Projektinfo brochure “Buildings of the future successful in decathlon” (04/2011), which can be obtained free of charge from the BINE Information Service at FIZ Karlsruhe, is available online at www.bine.info or by calling +49 228 92379-0.
Press contact
Uwe Milles
presse(at)bine.info
About BINE Information Service
Energy research for practical applications
The BINE Information Service reports on energy research topics, such as new materials, systems and components, as well as innovative concepts and methods. The knowledge gained is incorporated into the implementation of new technologies in practice, because first-rate information provides a basis for pioneering decisions, whether in the planning of energy-optimised buildings, increasing the efficiency of industrial processes, or integrating renewable energy sources into existing systems.
About FIZ Karlsruhe
FIZ Karlsruhe – Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure is a not-for-profit organization with the public mission to make sci-tech information from all over the world publicly available and to provide related services in order to support the national and international transfer of knowledge and the promotion of innovation.
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