Cool enough to be featured on an episode of MTV Cribs is the Energy Plant House, located in Zutphen, Netherlands. Marjo Dashorst and Hans Roebers worked with an Amsterdam-based architecture firm to create an energy-efficient home. The home has enough surplus energy to charge an electric car.

The boxy, two-level, three-bedroom home contains 32 rooftop solar panels with a capacity of 9.6 kW. An 8kW heat pump supplements energy production, in addition to a heat exchanger in the ventilation system. Energy efficiency is maintained through strong insulation and vegetated roofs. Skylights are strategically placed to flood the home with natural light.

Elsewhere, in Trondheim, Norway, the world’s northernmost energy-positive building was completed.  The eight-story, 18,000 square feet building, known as Powerhouse Brattørkaia, is designed with a sloped roof topped with photovoltaic panels. It produces over twice as much electricity as it consumes daily. Not only that, but it also feeds surplus renewable energy to nearby buildings and the city transit system through a local microgrid. The construction of the Powerhouse Brattørkaia is part of an initiative to bring energy-positive buildings to Norway and the rest of the world.

The building is wrapped in black aluminum and contains nearly 3,000 square meters of solar panels to ensure maximum exposure to the sun. It’s also well-insulated, contains heat recovery solutions, seawater-driven heating and cooling systems, and optimized access to natural light.

It’s truly exciting to see that Europe places heavy emphasis on energy efficiency and we can’t wait to see what other projects are completed.

Previous articleWildfires & Climate Change: Our New Reality and How We Can Fight It
Next articleEnvironmental Impact of Solar Calculator