Energy needs in buildings
BEO (Forschungszentrum Jülich - Projekttrager Biologie, Energie, Okologie), a German member of the OPET network (Organizations for the Promotion of Energy Technologies) has focused on energy needs within the buildings sector during its first year of OPET activities. The success of this approach demonstrates the expertise which different OPETs can build up in specific fields. These buildings-focused activities began in March 1997 with a seminar on natural lighting in buildings. In October a seminar on active twin facades and a workshop on "Energy saving in historical buildings" were held. The workshop aimed to offer practical solutions for meeting thermal insulation requirements within the existing building stock. Furthermore, it aimed to find ways of harmonizing the requirements of building conservation and the rational use of energy. Among the many practical solutions which emerged during the workshop discussions were: - Avoiding hydrophobic coatings on outer walls; - Targeting weak points of the building (condensation etc.); - Defining optimal thickness of inner insulation layers. Future BEO activities in the building sector will include seminars on transparent insulation in industrial buildings, photovoltaics and architectural design, passive and low-energy housing, and collective solar heating systems with inter-seasonal storage.