Based on the use of the latest technologies and systems (highly efficient PV modules, use of electricity and heat storage, building core activation …) a comprehensive energy concept was developed for an entire office building, to make sure that all energy needed for the building (electricity, heating, cooling) can be supplied by the installed PV panels. The whole building is energy positive, which means it produces more energy than is consumed on site.  The building is equipped with an energy management system for operation, which can also be integrated into higher-level systems – for example in the context of energy communities or energy-plus districts. For this purpose, an interface to the VPP (= Virtual Power Plant) already in operation in Oberwart (Oberwart Loadshift project) is planned. 

The building is designed and engineered consistently in BIM systems (= Building Information Modeling), the data models generated in the process are also updated during operation and kept up to date in order to ensure that the building is operated with optimized energy consumption. The entire building is automated on the basis of the BIM data models, so that many functionalities run in the background without impairing the convenience of the users.

A comprehensive monitoring system continuously monitors generation and consumption (at 15-minute intervals) and regulates the energy demand based on current and forecast usage and occupancy of the individual rooms. The PV system feeds the main systems of the building, controlled by the energy management, whereby the highest possible utilization of renewable energy is guaranteed via the various energy storages. 

According to the overall concept, the competence center will play a central role in a renewable energy community or in a plus-energy district and it is planned to be able to use the surplus energy generated in the building across the district in the future. For this reason, the PV system was not dimensioned with the individual building in mind but made larger and the entire existing roof and facade area as well as the roof areas of the carports were used. 

One main goal of the project is to considerably increase the self-consumption of the buildings PV installation, supplying all the buildings energy needs from its own, self-generated power. With the different storage solutions that will be installed in solar.one, a lot more of the generated energy can be used on site, considerably increasing the self-consumption ratio. The sector coupling solutions (heat pumps, EV charging) also allow the utilization of electric energy in other sectors, like heating and mobility. This further increases the ratio of self-consumed energy. Solar.one is not only a net-positive building, where a lot of energy is generated and supplied to the grid (and being basically lost for the building and region), the project aims to show that with the intelligent utilization of storage and sector coupling most of the generated energy can be used on site and directly used by the building and its users. As such the utilization of locally generated renewable energy can be substantially increased. PV generation is volatile, as it depends on the sun shining. This traditionally means, that surplus energy that cannot currently be used on site, is fed into the grid for a comparably low compensation. Also, if there is no sunshine, all (electric) energy has to be supplied from the grid. With the storage and sector coupling solutions deployed on the site, the majority of the generated electricity can be used – even in times when the sun doesn’t shine.