The solar home designed by architecture students from Germany is a two-story cube covered with solar cells. The entire house is a virtual power generator with 40 single-crystal silicon panels on the roof and with siding made from thin-film solar cells fitted onto aluminum strips. The photovoltaic (PV) system is expected to generate up to 11,000 watts, which is some 200% times the more energy than the house actually uses.
Other energy-saving features include vacuum insulation panels and special materials in the drywall to help the house maintain comfortable temperatures. At the windows, automated louvers help control the amount of solar heat that enters the house.
The Germany Team also won first place in the 2007 Solar Decathlon for designing an ultra efficient louver-sided house.
