Germany has built a home that produces so much clean energy it can charge the family cars as well. Efficiency House Plus with Electric Mobility designed by a collaborative team lead by Professor Werner Sobek is a 130 square meter experiment that was built in December 2011. Commissioned by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development, the home produces twice as much energy as it consumes.
Effizienzhaus Plus takes sustainable design to soaring new heights. Powered by an army of solar panels and insulated to the nigh, the glass-encased showcase is also equipped with a 40kWh storage battery. This allows for energy storage, which can then be used to power the occupants’ electric vehicles.
Following a test period, a family of four will move in (that was supposed to happen this year, but we’re not certain whether or not it has) to further test the concept’s feasibility. It’s not a cheap experiment, but in time – as the cause is taken up – costs for such installations will eventually decrease. And if you like this, you’ll love the fact that Germany met nearly half of their country’s energy needs with solar one weekend!
+ Werner Sobek
Via Treehugger
