By Jeffrey Joslin on
In order to sustain ourselves in the near future, we need to transition toward renewable alternatives. Right now, many of us question the reliability and cost effectiveness of solar, wind and hydro power. It might surprise you to know that a community located in Friedburg, Germany produces four times more energy than it uses. In other words, we already know that the world can run on renewable energy–we just haven’t passed the political obstacles in our way yet.
Architect Rolf Disch was the first man to design a building that would capture more energy than it required. This Sonnenschiff, or Solar Ship, would eventually become the hub for Friedburg’s massive Solarsiedlung, or Solar Village, undertaking. The idea stemmed from the community’s desire to free itself of traditional dependence on the electrical grid, and instead create its own microgrid by installing a large number of rooftop solar arrays.
After architect, Rolf Disch, built the Heliotrope (the first building in the world to capture more energy than it uses) he set his sights higher.
He successfully created a retail, commercial and residential space called Sonnenschiff, translating to “Solar Ship,” that was energy net-positive in 2004. The building was a hit, and over the following years 60 more residential buildings have been constructed surrounding the solar ship, all with energy positive electrical systems. Today the village, dubbed Solarsiedlung (Solar Village), is producing 4x more energy than it consumes.
Solarsiedlung is located in Freidburg, Germany, which is known as the ecological capital of the country. It is the home of Europe’s largest solar research center.
