For the competition, 18 interdisciplinary student teams from all over the world developed and built houses that generate at least as much energy – using solar systems – as they consume. They were supported by their universities, researchers and companies. From Germany, students took part from Hochschule Konstanz University of Applied Sciences (HTWG) and RWTH Aachen University, supported with government energy research funds. Whereas the design from Constance has perfected a modular construction system, with the Aachen team the focus is on recycling. After ten disciplines, the two homes achieved 4th and 5th places.  more...

Redeveloping an urban district represents not just an architectural challenge - the tenants behind the facades must also be taken into account. Those involved in the "Weingarten 2020" research project are aiming to meet both demands. With the involvement of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, they have created the first passive high-rise building in a district of Freiburg. A further important milestone was the optimisation of the energy supplies.  more...

High, far, deep and rough - this is how the RAVE research initiative itself describes the typical challenges faced by offshore wind energy. During the next few years, a dozen large-scale wind farms are being installed far off the coast of Germany in the North and Baltic seas. These are already earmarked to make up more than one third of the installed wind energy output by 2020. The sea-based wind farms will therefore make a considerable contribution to generating 35% of electricity from renewable energies by 2020, as envisaged by Germany´s energy policy.  more...

New developments make it possible: solar power can be produced increasingly cheaply. The solar power industry is close to achieving grid parity, which means that it will no longer cost more to generate solar power than the current consumer price. Researchers are presenting solar cells with ever-higher efficiencies and new records are constantly being set, only to be broken again. The series of successes is one of the clearest indications for the rapid progress being made in photovoltaics.  more...

Photovoltaic systems in schools help save energy and enhance classroom teaching. They shape a school's image and indicate that energy supply is a future-focused subject. Grants are available to schools wanting to install photovoltaic panels.  more...

At many schools they already exist: schoolchildren as energy detectives, energy managers or energy teams. They track down energy leaks, take the initiative, assume responsibility and ultimately know a great deal about saving energy. Their commitment is often also financially rewarding for their school.  more...