Every square meter counts in most buildings, and installations that demand significant space are seldom favored. Building upon this premise, five partners have united to develop a new energy concept where the building's own surfaces are used for both energy generation and energy storage.
Heat-producing solar collectors will be seamlessly integrated into the roof structure (BIST), while energy storage will be facilitated within the building's concrete foundation against the ground (slab on ground). A pilot project is underway, with construction set to commence before the summer.
The primary objective of the project is to develop a space-efficient solution that not only reduces the costs associated with solar energy but also helps to free up capacity in the electric grid. This concept aims to address today's significant challenges concerning energy prices and climate change.
Partners in the project, named Vabeto, are Norgeshus, Norgeshus Sør-bygg, Glava, Canes and Inaventa Solar
Vabeto is supported by ENOVA through the PILOT-E scheme: https://www.enova.no/pilot-e/information-in-english/
Sustainable architecture and energy efficiency
In the quest for sustainable architecture and energy efficiency, innovative solutions for transforming buildings into active contributors to energy production and storage should play an important part. The combination of building-integrated solar collectors and heat storage in concrete elements is just such a solution.
The solar collectors are integrated into the roof or façade of the building, replacing other external cladding. They produce a lot of energy, but only when the sun is available. To meet the challenge with variable solar irradiation, that the sun's availability fluctuates throughout the day and across seasons, you need an opportunity to store the heat energy that is produced. The concrete slab on the ground has a large heat capacity to receive and retain heat for later needs. By circulating heated liquid through embedded pipes in the concrete slab, thermal energy from the solar collectors can be stored from surplus periods and used in deficit periods.
Integrating energy generation and storage into the building construction not only reduces reliance on external energy sources but also enhances the overall sustainability and resilience of buildings. By harnessing renewable energy and optimizing thermal management, buildings can significantly reduce their carbon footprint.
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