Panasonic Solar Panels “HIT®” Chosen for New Offices of
German Federal Environment Agency

Panasonic has announced today that its “HIT” Solar Panels were chosen for the new offices of the German Federal Environment Agency. The new building at Berlin-Marienfelde will have its grand opening on August 30, with the ministry's staff moving into the new sustainable offices in September. When the Federal Bureau for Building and Regional Planning agreed to add an annex to the Federal Environment Agency's offices, it set a strict energy-saving requirement: a “net zero building” expected to generate all the necessary energy by itself. Panasonic recommends with confidence that its “HIT” solar modules will achieve this goal.

The “HIT” solar cell is made of a thin monocrystalline silicon wafer surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. This product provides the industry's leading performance and value based on the state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques.

The project team for planning and installing the energy system of the new building at Berlin-Marienfelde went to the Schimmel Engineering Bureau, which specializes in planning energy-efficient buildings. Project leader Oliver Nienaber explains, “We estimated the required energy output to be around 46,000 kWh/year. Therefore we were looking everywhere for solar panels that could supply this amount as well as were suitable for the limited roof space. In that sense, “HIT” products were the only panels that could meet our requirement.”

AS Solar, the German wholesale distributor, supplied and delivered 281 modules of “HIT H250» with a module efficiency of 18.0% and a nominal capacity of 70 kWp. The special “HIT” technology provides a higher conversion efficiency and greater power generation amount within a limited space.

Wahl Elektro Technik GmbH, the installation company, took only three days to install all of the panels. The solar modules are now ready to operate and create energy for the ministry annex, which has 31 workspaces. The building owner is satisfied with a good work as expected: “The Federal Environment Agency is sharply aware of its obligation to forward-looking building techniques and sustainability. Therefore, we place top priority on high quality and the best efficiency. Also taking into account the price, the Panasonic modules could win the competitive tender. Now that they are installed, it is time to prove their worth.”

In addition to the solar PV system, the building benefits from several other designs for renewable energy: a water source heat pump handles heating and cooling, and solar thermal panels supply hot water. A ventilation system with a heat-recovery unit efficiently improves the indoor climate. All of these systems, plus the regular energy consumption of lighting and office equipment, are powered by the solar panels. The building is thus in line with Article 9 of the EU legislation on the energy efficiency of buildings, stating that buildings occupied and owned by public authorities have to be nearly net zero energy buildings by 2019.

Going forward, Panasonic will make untiring efforts to offer solutions for creating a comfortable
environment while reducing environmental impact, including “home,” “office building,” “factory,” and “community” by using our accumulated technology and cutting-edge energy management technology.