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The Solar House

in Freiburg
From a self-sufficient solar house
to a research platform

PSE1-002 Prospekt Solarhaus E2

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History

In 1992, the Fraunhofer Institute

for Solar Energy Systems ISE started
to operate the Self-Sufficient Solar
House in Freiburg as part of a fiveyear research project. For a three-year
research phase, it was occupied by a
family with one child, and demonstrated that the sun can provide a house
with all the energy that it needs, even
in the Central European climate.
During this time, it was not connected
to the public electricity grid, nor was
there any other external supply of
non-solar energy. Today, the building
is a research platform for a diverse
range of projects and houses the PSE
company (Projektgesellschaft Solare
Energiesysteme mbH).

The basis of any form of energy selfsufficiency is a sophisticated combination of energy efficiency with a solar
energy supply. The researchers in
Freiburg achieved a building with a
100 % solar energy supply, without
any connection to the public grid.
They based it on a "high-technology
solution", with solar-generated hydrogen as the common energy storage
form for electricity and heat. A particularly futuristic feature was a fuel cell
as a miniature cogeneration power
plant, used in this way for the first
time in the world.
PV
generator

electrolyser

battery

fuel cell

DC
appliances
inverter household
electricity

H2O

H2O

This brochure concentrates on the

research activities of Fraunhofer ISE,
supplemented by the following brief
review of the experiment on "Energy
Self-Sufficiency".

The experiment confirmed the calculated, negligibly small heat demand and
demonstrated that self-sufficiency in
energy can be achieved on a day-today basis. It also indicated the need
for further development of hydrogen
as a seasonal storage medium for private houses. However, houses which
do not require any net energy input
on an annual basis or even generate
more (renewable) energy on average
than they consume represent a practicable alternative to self-sufficiency,
which is becoming increasingly popular. They often incorporate a large,
roof-integrated photovoltaic system,
which uses the grid as a storage
facility.

DC

O2

AC

hot
water

electricity
gas

gas tanks

heat

cooking
H2
heating

Title illustration:
The Freiburg Solar
House has now
been extended with
a faade test stand
(right) and separate
test cabins for various
current research
projects.

Fraunhofer ISE
The Solar House in Freiburg August 2000

In continuous operation
since 1992 the
Freiburg Solar House.

electricity applications

The experiment on energy

self-sufficiency

thermal applications

Self-Sufficient Solar House

1992-1995

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Current
Research Projects

Summer heat
for the winter
The sorption storage unit can store
heat from summer for many months
in a small volume, with practically no
losses. This means that the heating
demand for a house can be met
almost entirely with solar energy.
After thermochemical transformation,
the thermal energy cannot be felt as
sensible heat, but is stored as latent
heat. The heat transfer medium used
is silica gel, which has an energy density four to five times higher than
water. The sorption storage medium
stores the heat by processes of moistening and dehumidification. With
the aid of these two processes, it
needs considerably less space than a
conventional hot water tank and can
be installed both in existing and newly
constructed buildings.

The storage system consists of a series

of evacuated containers. Each module
consists of a heat exchanger, which is
surrounded by the sorption material,
silica gel. In summer, the heat gained
from the solar collector system dries
the storage medium. The released
water vapour condenses and the water
is stored in another container, which is
separated by a valve. If the water has
completely desorbed from the sorption
material, the valve is closed. During
the heating period, the valve is opened
to discharge the storage unit. The
adsorber attracts the water vapour so
strongly that the stored water evaporates at a low pressure and correspondingly low temperature. The required
low-temperature heat is supplied by
the solar collectors. During adsorption, heat for space heating or domestic hot water is released.

Useful heat
from the ground
An underground collector and a heat
pump allow ambient heat from the
ground to be used for the building
energy supply. The test field outside
the solar house offers many different
control options and is equipped with
temperature and humidity sensors.
We have used measurements on the
test field to check a simulation model.
This can be applied to dimension
underground collectors for heat pumps
and earth-to-air heat exchangers for
pre-heating and pre-cooling the air
supply.

Schematic diagram
of the underground collector.

Silica gel (above) and evacuated

storage container (below).

Vacuum technology of the storage units.

Fraunhofer ISE
The Solar House in Freiburg August 2000

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Hybrid systems
for 100 % reliability

Batteries - the classic way

to store electricity

Multi-facetted unit for

passive-energy buildings

Photovoltaic hybrid systems provide

electricity, reliably and with little maintenance demand, for off-grid telecommunications facilities, environmental
measurement technology, aviation
safety controls and traffic-guiding
technology. The hybrid system on the
grounds of the solar house supplies
electricity independent of the grid
to repeaters in mobile telephone
networks.

Lead-acid batteries represent the only

economic way of storing electricity for
many applications within the foreseeable future. The costs for battery
storage amount to 20 to 30 % of the
total costs for the photovoltaic system
over its lifetime. By improving the
operation management strategies,
longer operating lifetimes and thus
lower costs can be achieved.

Compact units with the format of a

kitchen cupboard are able to supply a
passive-energy building with fresh air,
space heating and domestic hot
water. In the Freiburg Solar House, we
have integrated a test stand for compact units into the building ventilation
system. A solar collector system on
the roof supplies solar hot water,
while an earth-to-air heat exchanger
pre-heats the incoming air. The only
additional heat source is a miniature
heat pump in the air outlet. We measure compact units for passive-energy
buildings under real operating conditions over longer periods of time with
the test stand. Automatically controlled cooling devices, auxiliary heaters,
humidifiers and dehumidifiers are
installed in the ventilation inlets and
outlets for measurements under stationary conditions. A secondary loop
with cooling can be used to keep the
tank temperature constant.

In co-operation with industrial partners, we are investigating 26 battery

systems within both pure photovoltaic
and hybrid photovoltaic systems in a
long-term project.

Hybrid system test configuration.

It includes a solar generator with a

rated power of 1100 W. The battery
has a capacity of 480 Ah/12 V. A continuous load of 50 W simulates the
typical power consumption of a mobile telephone repeater. A modified
thermoelectric auxiliary generator
copes with extreme periods of overcast weather. We developed an energy management system based on a
microcontroller to co-ordinate the fully
automatic operation, optimise the
battery management and minimise
the use of fossil fuels.

We vary parameters such as the

depth of discharge, end-of-charge
voltage and charging times for identical batteries under identical operating
conditions in the different systems, in
order to determine the best charging
strategies.

Test stand for compact units.

Solar generator of the

hybrid system.
Test cabin for battery tests with
external switchboxes for photovoltaic/battery systems (above).
Batteries from photovoltaic hybrid
test systems (below).
Fraunhofer ISE
The Solar House in Freiburg August 2000

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Solar air-conditioning with

heat from the sun

Solar Home Systems Electricity for off-grid areas

More than just an

attractive faade

Conventional air-conditioning units

have a high electricity consumption,
and much of it is around midday.
However, there is an alternative: It
may sound paradoxical - but it works:
Cool, dry air prepared with solar heat.

Solar Home Systems - small photovoltaic systems to supply electricity

for lighting and radio sets far from
the grid - play a central role in rural
electrification schemes. We have set
up three independent systems for
demonstration and practical tests:
one as we found it in Nepal, a replica
of the Solar Home Systems which we
installed in Argentina, and a system
in which we can investigate various
displays for the state of charge.

Modern faades control the flows of

light and heat between a building and
its surroundings. The faade test stand
next to the Freiburg Solar House is an
important link between the laboratory,
in which we test components under
reproducible standard conditions, and
computer simulation, which is intended to describe the real performance
of a facade. Using prototypes, we test
the operation of faade components
under realistic conditions and determine the critical parameters for the
various heat transport mechanisms in
field tests.

Solar Home System, demonstration hut.

Faade test stand.

We investigate and improve the control and operation management of

solar sorption-assisted air-conditioning
systems with a test stand specially built
for this purpose. Systems analysis and
associated simulation allow the potential of innovative switching concepts
to be evaluated on the basis of field
experiments. The individual components (solar collectors, heat transfer
media, dehumidification wheels, humidifiers) can be tested not only under
standardised but also under real solar
conditions. The modular construction
means that different dehumidification
rotors can be characterised if the client
so desires. Due to co-operation with
our thermoanalysis laboratory, innovative sorption materials can be developed for air-conditioning applications
and tested in the field.

North faade of the Freiburg Solar House.

Test stand for solar sorption-assisted

air-conditioning systems.

Fraunhofer ISE
The Solar House in Freiburg August 2000

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Contacts

Contact at the house

Contacts to research projects

Press and Public Relations

PSE Projektgesellschaft
Solare Energiesysteme mbH

Fraunhofer Institute for

Solar Energy Systems ISE
Oltmannsstr. 5
79100 Freiburg
Germany
Tel.: +49(0)761 45 88-0
Fax: +49(0)761 45 88-100
www.ise.fhg.de

Fraunhofer Institute for

Solar Energy Systems ISE
Press and Public Relations
Oltmannsstr. 5
79100 Freiburg
Germany
Tel.: +49(0)761 45 88-1 50
Fax: +49(0)761 45 88-3 42
e-mail: info@ise.fhg.de

Freiburg Solar House

Christaweg 40
79114 Freiburg
Germany
Tel.: +49(0)761 479 14-0
Fax: +49(0)761 479 14-44
e-mail: pse@pse.de
www.pse.de
Feel welcome to contact us. We
would be pleased to organise guided
tours, seminars and other events
involving the Freiburg Solar House
and Fraunhofer ISE for you.

Solar Engineering:
Dr Karsten Voss
Tel.: +49(0)761 45 88-1 35
Fax: +49(0)761 45 88-1 32
e-mail: kavoss@ise.fhg.de

Freiburg, August 2000.

Solar Home Systems:
Georg Bopp
Tel.: +49(0)761 45 88-2 40
Fax: +49(0)761 45 88-2 17
e-mail: bopp@ise.fhg.de
Test Stand for Compact Heating
Units, Ventilation Test Stand,
Earth-to-air Heat Exchanger:
Andreas Bhring
Tel.: +49(0)761 45 88-2 88
Fax: +49(0)761 45 88-1 32
e-mail: buehring@ise.fhg.de
Photovoltaic Hybrid System
Test Stand:
Werner Roth
Tel.: +49(0)761 45 88-2 27
Fax: +49(0)761 45 88-2 17
e-mail: roth@ise.fhg.de
Battery Test Stands:
Dirk Uwe Sauer
Tel.: +49(0)761 45 88-2 19
Fax: +49(0)761 45 88-2 17
e-mail: sauer@ise.fhg.de
Sorption Storage Unit:
Dr Hans-Martin Henning
Tel.: +49(0)761 45 88-1 34
Fax: +49(0)761 45 88-1 32
e-mail: hansm@ise.fhg.de
Faade Test Stand:
Dr Werner Platzer
Tel.: +49(0)761 45 88-1 31
Fax: +49(0)761 45 88-1 32
e-mail: platzer@ise.fhg.de

Fraunhofer ISE
The Solar House in Freiburg August 2000

2000 Fraunhofer Institute for

Solar Energy Systems ISE, Freiburg,
Germany