The solar-electric company building
In August 2021, a big dream came true for us! The first solar-electric company building in Austria had been set up in our home municipality of Sierning. At the new location in Sierning, our new company building with production and storage area, an R&D department, office space and reception and training area had been built on about 2,600 m². The new premises increase our production capacity fivefold and we finally have space for further growth and expansion.
Successful opening ceremony and high expectations
After only seven months of construction, we were able to record this major milestone in our company history - and of course celebrate extensively and appropriately!
On 30 September 2021, we celebrated with an evening event and presentations by our Managing Director Dr. Gerhard Rimpler ("The solar-electric vision"), Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Timo Leukefeld ("Intelligent waste - for a new approach to energy. Energy self-sufficiency is fundamentally changing our society - towards a self-determined life and new types of business models.") and a political discussion panel as well as over 120 guests officially opened our new location.
You were not there? You can find the recording here:
The expectations for our new company building are also very high from our point of view! We expect promising figures in terms of operating costs, energy use and self-consumption: We expect a total of 2,100 euros in annual costs for electricity, hot water and heating! Compared to conventional buildings, that would be 67 % lower operating costs for the same floor space! You can find more about the building's key figures in the press release.
First heating season exceeds all expectations
After the first heating season in the new company building, it is clear – solar-electric building technology works, and even better than expected. Here you can read more about it.
"We have already been able to achieve continuous growth in recent years. However, the trend towards more sustainability, security and self-sufficiency, which has been intensified by current events, has now accelerated this development enormously. Despite Covid-related restrictions, we have been able to double our sales compared to the previous period!", explains Gerhard Rimpler, CEO.
A total of two million euros is being invested in the new company location. The special thing about it is the inverted concept: We are building the "outer shell" around the photovoltaic modules, whose dimensions dictate the design of the building. A total of 300 solar modules with around 100 kWp will be installed on the monopitch roof as well as on the facade in south, east and west orientation.
"Such an undertaking has never been seen before in Austria. We are ahead of our time and set new trends," says sales manager Markus Gundendorfer.
We set new standards in building! Our new company building will be a showcase of how solar-electric energy supply looks and works. The solar-electric building technology will be visibly installed in the building: This makes our products a live showroom in real operation.
Key data
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858 m² building area
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300 solar modules supply us with electricity and heat
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2,000,000 € investment
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Planned construction period: 01/2021 - 08/2021
We refrained from installing photovoltaic modules only on the roof, because we wanted more! We planned and built our new company location around the necessary 300 photovoltaic modules.
The result? Wherever you look, you see PV modules. So we also fitted the facades of our new company building with PV modules - and in all directions. IBC SOLAR was involved in the implementation and supplied a total of 304 modules with an output of 335 watts each for the project.
Read more about the planning of the photovoltaic modules in this article.
Our solar-electric company building in fast motion
Austria's first and unique solar-electric company building was built in 2021 within a construction period of only 7 months in Neuzeug, Upper Austria. What is special about it? There are no water-borne heating systems in the solar-electric company building: Surplus from the 100 kWp photovoltaic system is channelled into electric heating systems as well as used to heat water in the building. The electric heating system was even partly handmade by the company owners because it is so innovative! The genesis of the company building is summarised in two minutes in this time-lapse video!
Drone video - progress of the company building
News about our company's construction progress: a new drone video shows that the first PV modules and the windows have already been integrated into the new building. In the short video clip you can see how quickly the lightweight timber construction has given the building the necessary height. As a result, the interior work and the roof and facade work could also be started quickly. In the meantime, the photovoltaic modules have been mounted on the roof and the windows have been installed in the building.
In the next weeks we will start with the exterior design, the construction of the parking lot (of course without sealing the ground) and the facade will be further covered with photovoltaic modules and wooden parts. For more information watch our video.
Thermo-active building system: Think first, then build!
A successful thermo-active building system for our new solar-electric company building requires a specification of the housing technology already in the early planning phase.
A solar-electric building requires storage mass to be able to optimally use the daily variation of solar energy. "Thermo-active building system" is the crucial keyword. This must already be taken into account in the early conception phase of the building services planning.
Watch our video to know more about it! As the vidoe is in German, please activate the English subtitles.
Current impressions
From an empty building site to the first solar-electric company building in Austria – these are our collected impressions.
Press
The latest press releases on the new building can be found here:
Press release May 2002:
Energy Globe Austria for building component activation with photovoltaics from Upper Austria
On 7 October, the best environmental projects in 6 categories were awarded environmental projects in 6 categories. 300 environmental projects took part in Energy Globe Austria this year. In the category "Earth", my-PV GmbH from from Neuzeug (Upper Austria) with its project "Building component activation with photovoltaics".
in which the concrete of the foundation slab becomes a heat reservoir for PV surplus.
Press release May 2022:
First heating season in the solar-electric my-PV company building exceeds expectations
In keeping with the credo "cables instead of pipes", the Austrian expert for solar-electric solar-electric heat generation, my-PV 2021, has built its new company building. After the first heating season, from November 2021 to April 2022, the company company is very positive: in winter, the building is self-sufficient in energy and the energy self-sufficient and the operating costs are even negative.
Press release October 2021:
my-PV opens Austria's first solar-electric company building
The expert for solar-electric heat generation my-PV has opened its new headquarters after a construction period of only seven months. In its new building in Neuzeug, the Austrian manufacturer is pursuing its “cables instead of pipes” concept and setting standards in solar-electric heat supply.
Press release April 2021:
Save up to 67 percent on operating costs in commercial buildings
my-PV uses photovoltaic power for thermal building component activation. Solar company my-PV has developed a solar-power system using thermal concrete-core activation in commercial buildings: An electric underfloor heating system releases excess solar energy as heat to the building foundation. Thanks to this storage concept, my-PV can save operating costs.
Press release March 2021:
Forward-looking building concept: my-PV builds solar-electric company building
With the construction of the new company building in Neuzeug, the photovoltaic heat experts from my-PV are setting new trends. For the new building, a production and company building will be designed and implemented as a solar-electric house for the first time. Production and storage areas, offices, training rooms and a department for research and development are being created on an area of around 2,600 square meters.
Press release November 2020:
my-PV sets standards in solar construction.
New company building to be supplied completely solar-electrically.
The expert for solar-electric heat generation my-PV started the construction of a new company building in Sierning (Upper Austria) at the beginning of November. On two floors and with 900 square meters of floor space, the two-million-euro project offers enough room for further expansion. With the new building, my-PV is setting standards in solar construction and solar-electric energy supply.
Press release October 2020:
my-PV continues to grow: multi-million investment at site in Sierning
While in many companies future prospects are currently assessed as gloomy and risky, the photovoltaic heat specialists of my-PV set a clear sign for optimism and confidence. The new company building is being built in Sierning at a cost of two million euros, which will create 35 new jobs in the medium term.
Subsidies
Solar Electric Buildings GmbH is constructing a new company building on a piece of land in Sierning, which my-PV GmbH will rent. This is a new type of building concept in which products of my-PV GmbH can be used for the building services and thus the entire building can be used as a "showroom".
This project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.
For more information on IWB/EFRE, please visit www.efre.gv.at.
