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...

The Bavarian municipality of Ismaning is generating increasingly more electricity and heat from local energy sources. During the next few days, pump and injection tests will begin on the new geothermal plant that will continue for several months. At a depth of around 2000 metres, the two wells are extracting more hot water than was originally assumed. The trial operation of the geothermal heat supply can therefore begin.  more...

Nuremberg´s new central library unites the collections from several sites. For this purpose, a partly listed group of buildings were refurbished, converted and expanded. The focus was on achieving a state-of-the-art building and usage concept as well as excellent energy efficiency, whereby the aim was to consume 30 per cent less primary energy than stipulated by the 2007 German Energy Saving Ordinance for new buildings. Demanding indoor climate requirements, particularly for the collection of medieval documents, made the task particularly tricky.  more...

The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology has presented a new concept for the Energy-Optimised Construction (EnOB) research initiative. This formulates new requirements for research projects and readjusts the focus, whereby the emphasis is now on interfaces between buildings and the urban energy infrastructure. Performance and efficiency analyses shall investigate the buildings in terms of their interaction with the energy systems to a greater extent than was previously the case. Particular attention shall be paid to analysing the lifecycle of the actual building operation with energy-optimised operational management.  more...

Researchers at RWTH Aachen University have been investigating the implementation of a district energy concept in Karlsruhe across a period of three years. An evaluation of the measurement data has shown that the theoretical savings potential has not been fully achieved on completion of the refurbishment there; a so-called rebound effect has been created. A new project as part of the "EnEff:Stadt" research initiative now intends to get to the bottom of this phenomenon.  more...

Germany's largest solar thermal system, "Hirtenwiesen II", was inaugurated in Crailsheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In addition to 260 accommodation units, the solar local heating supply system also supplies a school and a sports hall. The collector surface area is around 7,400 m² and includes one borehole heat exchanger heat storage tank and two buffer storage tanks. The German Federal Ministry for the Environment was one of the sponsors of the showcase project.  more...

The German government selected four regions to receive funding as part of the "Schaufenster Elektromobilität" (electromobility showcase) programme. The plan is for one million electric vehicles to be on the roads in Germany by 2020. Over the coming three years, the showcase and pilot projects will benefit from funding to the tune of 160 million euros from the economics, environment, research and transport ministries.  more...

In future, electricity grids will have to transport large quantities of electricity from renewable energy sources fed centrally and decentrally. Plus, we need greater reserves, storage facilities and flexibility in the electricity market due to the fluctuating supply. In the "Modellstadt Mannheim" project, a virtual energy marketplace is being developed for energy generators, consumers and grid operators. Customers can see the source and price of their electricity and influence them directly via the timing and extent of their consumption and the delivery from their own generation systems. This approach also includes gas, water and district heating.  more...

The residents of the Olympic Park housing estate are also supplied with solar thermal heat for space and domestic water heating in winter. This is ensured by a seasonal hot water storage tank in combination with a heat pump. With a capacity of 5.7 million litres, the underground bunker is large enough to almost fill three average-sized public swimming pools. With their heating concept, the researchers at the Bavarian Centre for Applied Energy Research achieved a return temperature of just 30 °C in the local heating network.  more...

There are already more than 100 regions and many rural communities that are promoting sustainable development based on renewable energies. After developing individual concepts and strategies, the lengthy and often very complex implementation begins. A research project organised by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment has been supporting these regions in conceptual and technical terms since 2007. This project is being conducted by the deENet competence network and the University of Kassel, and is being advised by the German Federal Environment Agency. In a second project phase, it is planned to create a national network by 2013.  more...