28. January 2026

A record year for the HZB living lab for building-integrated solar facades

The solar modules on the facade of the Adlershof research building produced almost 32 MWh of electricity in 2025

Two people point upwards at the solar wall

In 2025, the solar facade of the BIPV living laboratory (BIPV – Building integrated photovoltaics) in Berlin-Adlershof generated more electricity than in any of the previous four years of operation. With about 32 MWh, the modules produced enough electricity to power more than 12 average four-person households. Thanks to the energy-intensive research landscape at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, all of the electricity generated can also be consumed on site by the research facility at any time.

Even after five years of operation, the building-integrated solar modules show no measurable degradation. Differences in annual energy yield can so far be attributed exclusively to weather-related fluctuations.

According to the German Weather Service, the duration of sunshine in 2025 was around 1,900 hours nationwide. In addition, the year was comparatively low in precipitation, which, together with the high duration of sunshine, explains the high solar yield. December was particularly remarkable: exceptionally good PV weather led to yields more than twice as high as in the previous year. Especially in spring, autumn and winter, the sun is more favourable for the solar facade, so the researchers regularly observe higher yield peaks than in the summer months.