Themie project SE 102/95/NL/DE
PV projects

click here if you can't see the BEAR-logo

Facade integration in 22 houses in Dordrecht (NL)

Waterside view of the houses
The houses are located near to a highway which produces a lot of noise, so the houses have no openings on that side (Northeast), except the entrance-door. The south and the west facades have big windows and glass doors. To prevent overheating in summer, shading devices are needed. The living room facade is provided with a fixed shading device. The PV panels are part of these elements.
From the point of view of the PV system, this solution is not the optimum solution. But looking at the design of the house and the facades, the architectural integration looks very good.

North side of the houses
The aim of the project is to develop environmental and energy-conscious housing. This means that the houses are well-insulated, Low-E glazing, high efficiency stove, an electrical heat-pump for ventilation combined with a hot water boiler and PV-modules for electricity. Water-saving equipment is a standard in the houses. Building materials are selected according to environmental aspects. The houses are called 'Milieu +' or 'Environment extra'. This means that the houses will become a new (future) standard for housing in the Netherlands.
The municipality of Dordrecht uses checklists on environmental aspects for new building plans. To increase the possibilities of environmental aspects in the building industry this plan is supported as an example or demonstration for new standards in Dordrecht. (Which will be followed by other municipalities).
On this site along a highway of the city the dwellings had to be designed taking into account the high noise-level. For that reason the dwellings are almost without doors and windows on the noisy northside and opened to the sunny south side. This special house design can be used in a lot of noisy sites along highways with heavy traffic. Because of the specific situations the house is also a good example of passive-solar housing. Because of the heat load in summer, a passive-solar house needs shading. Part of the shading is fixed and part of the shading must be removable for use in summer-conditions only. For this reason a special shading-device is designed to integrate both functions together with the possibility of integrating PV-modules in the facade.
Special attention is paid to the architectural integration of the chosen construction. There is a big need for good examples of solar dwellings where photo-voltaic, passive and active solar energy are combined.
This demonstration is a good example and will be followed by future projects with integrated PV-modules in housing design. The innovative part is the PV-modules integrated in shading devices in these (passive) solar dwellings.

Cross section
Choice of PV-system.

There are many aspects to the choice for PV-modules. Because the system is integrated in the shading device there are possibilities to combine functions. The aim to combine functions is to optimise the functions and to optimise the building/system-costs. To make a good looking shading device with integrated PV-modules the choice was made for unframed modules from GSS Gebaüde- Solarssysteme GmbH, Gera (Thüringen), Germany. This company was able to manufacture PV-modules according to the needs and wishes of the architect.
For this project the GSS solar modules, cell type Siemens Sqround, with an output of Pmax = 2,08 Wp per cell was be used.
According to EC-regulations, the modules have been tested and certified according to GCO (ISPRA) Specifications. ISPRA Certificate 503. The system is grid-connected. There is no price difference between buying and selling. A Siemens SPN 1000 PV-inverter was be used.
Northeast view and detail of the integrated PV system

Site of the installation is Dordrecht, Oudelandshoek, Zuid-Holland NL
Building were started in November 1995 and the houses were finished in November 1996.

  • PV nominal power/house 1,030 Wp
  • PV nominal power/total 22,640 Wp
  • All houses are sold including the PV system. The project is financed by the EC (EC project Thermie SE 102/95/NL/DE), NOVEM, ENECO (utility) and the buyers of the homes.
  • The PV-system is manufactured by GSS (Gera, Germany) and assembled by BST/Stroomwerk (Terheijden, Breda, The Netherlands). Engineering and monitoring by BEC (Apeldoorn The Netherlands). Monitoring equipment Leiderdorp Instruments.
Visit the exhibition "Under the sun" in the
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum New York.
Travelling Exhibition.