The PV/hydrogen/oxygen-system of the self-sufficient solar house Freiburg

Solar radiation is the only energy source to supply the inhabitants of the self-sufficient solar house (SSSH) with heat and electricity. The house has no grid connection, no auxiliary fossil fuels are used. The transparent insulation of the southern building walls is the solar space heating system. A bifacially illuminated flat plate collector provides the domestic hot water. A PV generator of 4.2 kW provides all the electrical power for appliances and the control system and indirectly hydrogen gas for cooking. For short-term energy storage there is a lead-acid battery. For long-term storage (summer to winter), an electrolyser is used, which produces hydrogen and oxygen. In winter the gases are either transformed into electricity for electrical appliances by a fuel cell or used directly for cooking. The household is equipped with commercially available energy-efficient electrical appliances for 230 V AC. The construction of the house was completed in October 1992 after 3 years of research, planning and design. The first results show a good agreement with the simulation results.<>