The Natural History Museum in Vienna now combines history with modernity. The building, which dates back to 1891, has been fitted with a solar energy system. The planners at ATB Becker from Absam in Tyrol have carefully integrated the new photovoltaic generator into the listed architecture. They used the durable glass-glass modules from Solarwatt.
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Special requirements for the modules
The new system is part of the museum management's strategy to develop the world-famous natural history museum in the centre of Vienna into a CO2-neutral museum. The solar system from Solarwatt consists of a total of 657 modules. The planners at ATB Becker opted for the new modules from Solarwatt's Panel Vision H 3.0 Pure series. "With a listed building as prominent as the Natural History Museum Vienna, there are of course automatically special requirements for the design of the solar system," says Peter Bachmann, who is responsible for creating customer solutions at Solarwatt.
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Among other things, he refers to compliance with the necessary fire regulations for the historic building. The double glass modules from Solarwatt each have an output of around 370 watts. This gives the new generator an output of around 243 kilowatts.
Using electricity on site
Together with a 14.67-kilowatt solar system installed in 2006, the roof of the museum now has a photovoltaic output of 257.49 kilowatts. A system installed in 1998 was removed. The fitters have filled the vacant space with new modules. With the solar power produced, the Natural History Museum can cover twelve per cent of its electricity needs. (su/mfo)
