Alternative Energy

All Categories

BY Tali Aaron : August 18

Passivhaus Building Allows Sonnenschiff Solar City to Produce 4x More Energy Than it Needs

sonnenschiff solar city

We know you're passionate about sustainability—you've changed out light bulbs, turned off the air-conditioning, and cut energy consumption. You choose your bike over your car. But trust us, the Sonnenschiff solar city takes energy sustainability to another level.

Located in Freiburg, Germany, the Sonnenschiff solar city incorporates large mixed-use commercial and residential buildings with a community of 52 homes. Incredibly, Sonnenschiff ("Solar Ship") produces not only all the energy that it uses, but four times that much. Yes, four times.

Smart solar design and building to Passivhaus standards combine to make this net-positive dream come true. Designed by Rolf Disc, the Sonnenschiff solar city incorporates large arrays of photovoltaic panels that are all oriented for optimal solar capture. Individual residences within the Sonnenschiff solar city feature shed-type roofs covered with solar panels. The roof overhang provides summer shade while allowing passive solar heating from the lower rays of the winter sun, and the orientation of individual buildings within the Sonnenschiff solar city allow for optimal daylight access.

Need more sustainability? Rooftop gardens feature a rainwater recycling system that provides irrigation—and supplies the city's toilets with greywater.

Recommended for Further Reading:

Posted in: Alternative Energy, Architecture Design, Green Construction, Solar Energy
Tags: email ship builders (4)   SolTech Energy (7)   Solar Energy (119)   building (1032)   renewable energy (502)   city (4)   solar energy (223)   cleantech (324)   솔라 (3)   passivhaus (3)   passive house (8)   
Last Modified: August 18, 2010 at 3:07 pm
First Published: August 18, 2010 at 12:30 pm

5 Responses to Passivhaus Building Allows Sonnenschiff Solar City to Produce 4x More Energy Than it Needs

  2. buildaroo on September 29, 2012 at 12:58 pm


    Passivhaus Building Allows Sonnenschiff Solar City to Produce 4x... http://t.co/7GP5rOlb #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy

    Reply
  3. Bogdan on May 31, 2012 at 7:24 pm


    PhotovoltaiqueJ'ai pense9 que je pourrais vous faire connaeetre que tant d'autres sera prdneut lors de leur mise en place. Toutes les autres marques de panneaux solaires que j'ai, qui sont aussi amorphes ont produit d'e9tanche9ite9 sur les bords couvrant les fils sous le che2ssis, mais ces juste semblent avoir une sorte de plastique "clignotant". En dehors de cela, ces choses sont impressionnantes et semblent effectuer un peu mieux que ce qu'ils sont e9value9s.
    Reply
  4. Andi on May 31, 2012 at 6:31 pm


    Really great DIY product, I had fun bldiiung my own solar collector. Beside that I have constructed my first 2KW solar panel heater which directly heats the air in my home. Additional details and instructions can be found on
    Reply
  5. buildaroo on October 1, 2011 at 4:25 am


    Passivhaus Building Allows Sonnenschiff Solar City to Produce 4x... http://t.co/7GP9Zom5 #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy

    Reply
  6. buildaroo on February 17, 2011 at 9:52 pm


    Passivhaus Building Allows Sonnenschiff Solar City to Produce 4x... http://bit.ly/9k1M5t #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*