Around 1,300 square metres of collector area for Berlin: Germany’s largest PVT system is currently being built at Berlin’s Osthafen harbour. The first SOLINK PVT heat pump collectors have already been installed.
Frankfurt am Main/ Berlin, 04.07.2024 – Consolar Solare Energiesysteme GmbH, the specialist for highly efficient solar energy supply, is pleased to have been granted an order to supply what is currently the largest PVT system in Germany*. Around 1,300 square metres of SOLINK collector surface will be installed on the roof of a 7-storey office building on the site of Berlin’s Osthafen.
The SOLINK PVT heat pump collector combines photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal energy (T). Designed exclusively for use with brine heat pumps, the SOLINK PVT heat pump collector generates up to 10 % more electrical energy compared to conventional photovoltaic modules and also supplies two to three times the amount of electricity as thermal energy. The double energy generation significantly increases the usable solar energy with the same roof area. “This is a quantum leap and an important step on the way to fully supplying buildings with energy from renewable sources,” says Andreas Siegemund, Managing Director of Consolar.
Germany’s largest PVT system to date is currently being built on the roof of the Dockyard at Berlin’s Osthafen, which is being realised in a climate- and resource-friendly timber hybrid construction. With its innovative energy concept, which is based on one of the largest ice storage facilities in Germany and the use of renewable energy sources such as geothermal energy, solar energy and ambient air, the building is climate-neutral in operation.
The project is a best-practice example of the transformation to renewables in the area of building energy supply. Three environmental energy sources supply the building with green energy: geothermal, solar and ambient air. The CO₂-free energy provided by the heat pumps is used to heat or cool the building via ceilings. In addition to heat, the SOLINK PVT collectors from Consolar also generate electricity to operate the heat pumps. With more than 4,000 systems now installed across Europe, SOLINK has established itself as the leading energy source technology for heat pumps.
A central and special feature of the Dockyard’s energy supply is the ice storage system. This was created in a 100 metre long, disused railway tunnel and holds around 1.5 million litres. This makes it one of the largest ice storage facilities in Germany. By combining the SOLINK PVT collectors with the large ice storage system, seasonal energy storage is achieved and the required collector area on the roof has been significantly reduced.
*Statement according to the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE
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(Image source: Pecan Development)