GERMANY: MONT-CENIS ACADEMY

General project background
At the end of the 1980s the Minister of the Interior of the State of North Rhine Westphalia made the decision to move the Continuing Training Academy to Herne. It took ten years to complete this exciting architectural concept that included a 1 MW building-integrated PV system for the ecological and economic renewal of the region.
Architectural concept (Passive solar energy use / Daylighting concept / Ecological building materials and construction / Rainwater system / Mine-gas driven co-generation plant)
BiPV design process (Planning process, alternative designs / Design process)
Installation design (Integration design and mounting strategy)
Electrical configuration including grid integration (Inverter / Monitoring system / Battery system)
Planning approval and institutional processes
Performance characteristics
Post-installation feedback
Project organisation
Project cost breakdown
The PV system was financed 49 percent by the state of North Rhine Westphalia and the European Commission. The Stadtwerke Herne, the local utility company, invested the remaining 51 percent.