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...

When it comes to transporting heat from boilers to heating surfaces or supplying cooling energy to cooling ceilings, water has proved to be an excellent heat transfer medium. However, in some application areas it is now facing competition: various research groups are working on heat transfer fluids that have at least double the energy density. Phase change materials such as paraffin, which are finely distributed in water, store heat when they melt and release it again when they solidify.  more...

Until now, buildings regularly require more energy and provide less user quality in practice than was to be expected from the installed technology during the planning. That has structural reasons. The naerco research project has investigated this aspect and developed the success contracting concept: pre-defined energy and quality parameters are contracted out as part of a function-based tender. A contractor guarantees their realisation for 15 years. The contractual process also includes continual control of the agreed values and a bonus-malus system.  more...

Regions with a large proportion of renewable energies offer particularly good prerequisites for testing out future decentralised supply systems. In the rural district of Harz, one of six model regions in the German government´s E-Energy programme, more than 20 partners from various sectors of the electricity industry have developed technologies and business models for smart grids. Four municipal utility companies and two distribution network operators were involved in their implementation. The four-year RegModHarz research project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, will be completed at the beginning of 2013.  more...

In the "Smart Country" model project, researchers in Bitburg-Prüm were testing out the distribution network of the future. It is designed to respond flexibly to the increasingly decentralised generation of renewable electricity in the grid. For this purpose various operating resources were further developed: an optimised biogas plant, which controls the electricity supplied by the grid, virtually stores surplus electricity with an efficiency of 98 %. In addition, voltage regulators double the usable output capacity in the grid. The Eifel project successfully passed the field test after around one year.  more...

During the long development history of mechanical engineering, engineers have substantially exhausted the traditional methods of reducing friction. Further optimisations are mostly just a matter of a few per cent. Innovative coatings made of diamond-like, shiny black carbon compounds can now exploit their advantages. They combine extraordinary lubricity with anti-adhesive properties, chemical stability and extreme material hardness. In the Pegasus research project, scientists from research and industry are working on their large-scale use for drive trains in vehicles.  more...

Instead of screwing various module and collector types for solar power and solar heat on the roof, an obvious idea would be to use a hybrid collector that can do both and which creates a uniform appearance. In addition to generating photovoltaic electricity, which only utilises 15-20 % of the incident solar radiation, a so-called PVT collector can use the remaining radiation energy for generating heat. Researchers are working on optimising the output and production of these systems.  more...

Regardless whether in the office, at home or in school, too little daylight or unfavourable lighting impair visibility in rooms and strain the eyes. Based on the example of schools and homes for the elderly, it was investigated how new lighting concepts and new lamp, luminaire and ballast technology can help to improve the situation. A measurement system was used to monitor the lighting and energy properties. The new lighting systems and optimised technology enabled the electrical energy requirements in a school to be reduced by around two thirds.  more...

Lightweight and transparent membrane structures enable large spaces, such as courtyards in old building complexes, to be roofed over. Supplemental to the additional space created, this also achieves savings in terms of the heating and lighting. Artificial light is not necessary and the heat losses from the adjacent buildings can be reduced. However, an intelligent building management system is essential in order to create a pleasant indoor environment. To ensure that this is achieved, scientists have developed new concepts and components for the use of film and membranes in old buildings.  more...