Building structures consume over 40% of the total energy demand in Germany. The same proportion with respect to carbon emission is released for supplying buildings with heat and hot water. Establishing "surplus energy-houses" as an energy standard for newly-built structures would allow for a considerable reduction of energy consumption and related environmental impacts, a big step forward to energy autonomy of buildings. The basis for realizing such buildings that produce more energy than they consume are systems that allow the harvesting of renewable energies "on the spot" of the building site. The production of biomass by the building skin as a means of providing renewable energy has not been investigated in any depth so far, in spite of the growing relevance of biomass as a renewable energy sources presenting itself an ideal addition to photovoltaic (PV) and solar collectors. Biomass presents "stored solar energy" in contrast to electrical power generated through PV. It can be stored without loss and without the use of technical equipment. This article discusses how Arup GmbH has founded a research consortium including SSC GmbH and COLT International GmbH to explore and optimise these technical systems, and test them as prototypes in 1:1 scale in a building environment.
