The largest solar boat in the world and Germany's largest floating climate building in Hamburg

The “IBA at Work” exhibition at the floating IBA DOCK was opened in 2010, the year that marks the middle of the seven year long IBA exhibition based in Hamburg. The world’s largest solar boat, TÛRANOR PlanetSolar, sailed in for the event before it started its trip around the globe. Ambitious projects, such as these, prove that solar autonomy is possible where buildings and mobility are concerned. IMMOSOLAR came up with the innovative energy concept for the IBA DOCK, and as a partner in the PlanetSolar project, the company is also involved in the area of solar mobility.

For two decades the energy specialists, IMMOSOLAR, have been carrying out development and pioneering work in the area of solar energy management. The company pursues a vision of solar autonomy and specialises in the design, manufacture and sale of anti-fossil fuel systems for buildings. According to Jürgen Holzinger, Managing Director of IMMOSOLAR, "these projects prove that renewables are already so sophisticated and capable that they can readily be used on ambitious projects like this."

The floating IBA DOCK climate house

With the goal of CO₂ neutral urban development, the International Building Exhibition, Hamburg (IBA) presents projects which are important not only because they are inspirational, but also because the technology they use can be applied to commercial buildings today. The IBA DOCK is one such project.
Completed in 2009, the floating IBA DOCK business and information centre demonstrates that air conditioning is possible without the use of conventional fuels such as oil and gas. The IBA DOCK is a steel construction built on a pontoon approximately 50 metres long and 26 metres wide. Its superstructures are of modular construction and are made of steel. This reduces weight and makes it possible to remove the top module for transport in order to be able to pass under bridges. Why shouldn’t a building like this, including its building envelope with high quality insulation, use the sun and the River Elbe to supply itself with renewable energy?
The energy concept and energy technology used in the IBA DOCK is based on the Zero Balance concept from IMMOSOLAR GmbH: CO₂ neutral air conditioning of the building which can independently generate the power it needs for heating and cooling. Heating and cooling ceiling elements installed throughout the building either supply the rooms with heat or extract this heat to cool them, thus ensuring an optimal indoor climate in both summer and winter months. Solar thermal collectors on the roof of the IBA DOCK help a brine/water heat pump to heat the building. The heat pump simply takes the environmental heat it requires from the Elbe via the heat exchanger in the pontoon or directly from the solar thermal system. Intelligent energy management links all of the components together. Using the installed energy technology, the IBA DOCK is heated and cooled directly almost entirely by the sun and the Elbe. The energy saving, compared with conventional technology such as gas and oil heating, is around 85%.
In order to ensure CO₂ neutrality, a 14.4 kWp photovoltaic system has also been installed. This system faces south at a 30° angle at the level of the roof terrace. Its size was calculated to ensure that the annual solar power production precisely matches the power consumption of the heating system. The IBA DOCK is therefore a zero heating energy building. The use of green power for all electrical consumers in the building underlines the ambitious goal of the IBA.

In order to present this trendsetting form of energy supply to IBA visitors, those interested are permitted to enter the installations room – making it a permanent part of the exhibition. "Our energy concept for the IBA DOCK impressively demonstrates the extent to which green energies can be used today. The IBA DOCK is powered by the sun and the River Elbe and so serves as a model for sustainable construction in the solar age," emphasises Karsten Peleikis, graduate engineer and Manager of IMMOSOLAR North Region.

The largest solar boat in the world

This catamaran measuring 31 metres in length and 15 metres across is powered exclusively by solar energy and will circumnavigate the globe in 2011 entirely without the use of traditional fuels.
The futuristic electric motorboat is of incredibly light yet extremely durable carbon-sandwich construction. In total, 20.6 tonnes of carbon fibre, 11.5 tonnes of foam core and 23 tonnes of resin and hardener were used to create the boat itself, which is a technological masterpiece from Kiel-based boatbuilding firm, Knierim Yachtbau.
The most exciting feature of this enormous double-hulled boat becomes apparent from an aerial perspective: solar panels from Solon AG in Berlin are installed on deck – a total of 825 modules, equipped with 38,000 individual photovoltaic cells, on a total surface area of 537 square metres (including side riggers and "rear wings"). These capture energy which is then stored in six blocks containing twelve batteries each (648 cells using the latest, maintenance-free lithium ion technology from GAIA in Nordhausen). Each of the six blocks weighs just under two tonnes – traditional lead batteries with the same capacity would have weighed seven times as much, and had a shorter lifespan.
The TÛRANOR PlanetSolar is driven by two contra-rotating carbon propellers from Voith Turbo Marine Composite Technology GmbH in Hohen Luckow, near Rostock. The diameter of each propeller is almost two metres, twice the usual size for a vessel of this size, which makes propulsion more efficient. As half the propeller is in the air and the other half underwater, a "wheel effect" is created which makes it possible to steer the ship without a rudder. Four electric motors from Nuremberg – two per drive shaft – have a maximum output of 120 kW and an incredibly high energy efficiency of over 90%. An estimated cruising speed of 7.5 knots (around 14 km/h) should ideally (without a head wind or counter-waves) only require around 20 kW.