SMA Solar Academy

Niestetal, Germany

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SMA Solar Academy

Niestetal, Germany

Firm

HHS Planer + Architekten AG (Hegger Hegger Schleiff Architekten)

Type

Educational › Other

YEAR

2010

Photos

Constantin Meyer (3)

A leading player in the world market for inverters, the company SMA Solar Technology AG built a training facility. This was constructed as the raised structure over in a flood plain. This building works as a completely energy self-sufficient facility.

Extensive integrated photovoltaic elements work as both roof and façade, enabling the building shell to combine the technical elements with aesthetic considerations of a floating, lightweight structure. The building is anchored to the ground by a core of fair¬faced concrete slabs containing the access to the building.

The first floor houses the foyer, training rooms, ancillary areas and the technical control centre, which also functions as a showcase to demonstrate the building’s special technical facilities.

The building is completely independent from public networks for its energy requirements and is energy self-sufficient. As an “island solution”, it demonstrates one of the technologies developed by the company, which can be used to provide electricity for locations remote from the grid. The solution is underpinned by high insulation standards combined with the cooling medium of ground water from a deep bore, and a biogas-fuelled CHP for winter periods when the PV output is insufficient. Heat and electricity storages act as buffers for night periods as well as for times of low solar radiation.