The designated area at the Adlershof science hub in the southeast of Berlin, one of the most modern science and technology parks in Germany, will be built in four construction phases with a useable residential area of 11,000 m² and will be certified according to the energy-efficiency standard "KfW-Effizienzhaus 40 Plus" (For new buildings, the KfW distinguishes between three passive house standards according to the energy-saving-potential, indicated by a number. For more information please visit KfW). Apart from the site’s integration into the district heating grid, one of its central components will be the local production of solar power and heat in conjunction with the use of storage solutions. There will be a decentralised, hot-water supply in the low-temperature distribution grid.

In the first construction phase, three four-storey residential buildings were built to the passive house standard. They feature high-quality insulation of the building shell and a highly efficient ventilation and heat recovery system. On the roofs of two of the buildings there is a PV system. On one of the two, additional electricity is produced via the PV facade. On the third building, a solar thermal system generates heat all year round and enables excess heat to be fed back into the district heating grid. The revenues produced through this will make a significant contribution to the profitability of the entire project. In addition, a battery bank has been connected so as to increase the use of the self-generated electricity.

The purpose of the BMWi-funded monitoring of the heating network during operation is to optimise things. For instance, the temperature level in the heat distribution grid for generating hot water or the storage capacities and the operational organisation of the district heat grid will be continuously monitored and adjusted if necessary.