Page 73 - European Energy Innovation - winter 2018 publication

Winter 2018 European Energy Innovation 73

GERMANY ENERGY

Four single family homes built to the Passive House Standard: Left: The worldwide first Passive House in
Darmstadt, Germany, was built by Dr Feist in 1991. It received a photovoltaic system in 2015 (©Peter Cook).
2nd Left: A Passive House in Bavaria, Germany in front of a pittoresque setting (©Lebensraum Holz). 2nd Right:
This family home in Leeds demonstrates just how versatile a Passive House can look like (©Eric Parks). Right: A
Passive House in Asturia, Spain. Its roof is covered with greenery, it uses solar power to generate electricity and
also recycles rainwater (©Carmen Delgado).

the world; a highly energy-efficient Standard itself has been further cover a high percentage of their
building standard that offers its developed: in 2014, the Passive House energy demand, despite the lower
users the benefits of high comfort Institute extended the standard to solar radiation. Connection to highly
and lower running costs, while include the Passive House Plus and efficient heat pumps makes particular
contributing to climate protection Passive House Premium classes, sense here.
through low heating demand. To in order to take into account the
date, more than one million square generation of renewable energy. The Energy transition
meters of Passive House Standard two concepts fit together very well: Yet another plus point to Passive
real estate has been built worldwide. energy efficiency and renewable Houses: Due to their excellent
For the most part, this development energy are a perfect match. thermal insulation, such buildings
has taken the form of residential cool down very slowly in winter
buildings, but the Passive House Renewables and Passive House Efficiency, thermal inertia and the
Standard has also been successfully If a building is erected and the site possibility of generating renewable
applied to hotels, schools, area is thus deprived of another use, energy make the Passive House a
kindergartens, sports centres, it makes sense to use the roof and central component of a successful
supermarkets, offices and factory facade areas for the production of energy transition.
buildings. renewable energy. However, this is
done in most cases with photovoltaic The oil crisis of the seventies is
Large-scale Passive Houses panels, which in the winter produce long gone. Climate protection is the
Examples of note include: the world’s little electricity due to low solar challenge of our time. The Passive
first Passive House hospital currently radiation. Here, in turn, the minimal House Standard is a solution that has
under construction in Frankfurt, wintertime energy consumption of proven itself and can be implemented
Germany; and the world’s tallest Passive Houses pays off, because in the building sector without delay
Passive House high-rise, standing the photovoltaic system can still on large scale - let's go for it! l
at 88 metres in Bilbao, Spain. The
Bahnstadt in Heidelberg is currently About the author
the largest Passive House district,
and has served as a precedent for Dr Benjamin Krick is an architect
a similar scheme to the south of by training, having focused his
Beijing, China. Once the latter and doctoral research on sustainable
further large scale projects in China building. As a senior scientist at the
have been completed, the two million Passive House Institute, he chairs
square metre mark will have been hit. the working group for international
Passive House Component
Perfect match Certification.
At the same time the Passive House

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