curated by Anab Jain, Marlies Wirth, Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Hubert Klumpner
Decentralized Urban Energy Generating Systems
The project is investigating new strategies for urban energy production and the reduction of CO2 emissions. Central to the investigations are "Active Buildings": networked structures managing a local cluster, interconnecting existing buildings, sharing information as well as energy surplus. They work like local solar power plants using e-mobility as temporary storages and the reservoirs of district hydro power plants to store the surplus created at peak-hours. Building-integrated PV-tracking systems are increasing the solar power production by factor 2.9, almost tripling the amount of energy generated. The first of its kind built structure utilizes renewable sources of energy exclusively. As a net-zero structure it is the prototype of a decentralized urban energy generation system, providing a more democratic model of energy production as well as energy distribution.