European Solar Prize 2015 awarded in Prague
On 23 November the European Solar Prize 2015 was presented in the course of festivities at the Waldstein Palace in Prague. This year, EUROSOLAR honored twelve nominees from seven different countries. The ceremony took place at the house of the Senate of the Czech Republic along with the Czech Solar Prize presentation.
In addition to the award presentation, an international panel performed talks and a debate on the ‘European Energy Future’. Consensus was found on the fact that the transition to renewable energy sources has to be the primary focus of a European energy policy to reduce the dependency on energy imports, eradicate social and economical imbalances and to prevent climate change. The specific experiences from different countries showed, that a successful transition to renewable energies has to take place in a decentralized way.
The featured candidates illustrate, that the European energy transition is already successfully being put into practice ‘from below‘. With the European Solar Prize EUROSOLAR wants to raise public awareness of these accomplishments for the necessity and opportunities that accompany the energy transition.
Winners of the European Solar Prize 2015:
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Outstanding commitment and role model function for renewable development in the Czech Republic |
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First demonstration of a full scale renewable heating concept with solar and seasonal storage in Denmark |
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Centrally located building with 74 units which is currently the first and largest inner-city residential building to meet the energy-efficiency-plus housing standard |
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Innovative technological energy concept with a self-sufficiency of 283% |
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Energetic transformation of a heritage-protected building with keeping the original design |
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Longstanding commitment for the use of ecofriendly energy systems on private buildings in Austria |
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Outstanding effort for the use of renewable energy across borders and their fight against the Lausitz cole mine |
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Plus-energy-building refurbishment which inserts structurally into the historic townscape and its exemplary energy production, fulfilling the requirements for an energy revolution
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Exemplary supply of public transport with renewable energy as part of a cooperation between city, industry and science |
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World’s first 16-tons-solar excavator with electric motor and an energy supply from a PV-system on the operational building |
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Conservation of the historic artwork through conditioning with the use of clean and renewable energy |
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Outstanding commitment for renewable energy as a pioneer of biogas and spokesman in Denmark |
Energy self-sufficient community Kněžice, Czech Republic
SUNSTORE 3, Dronninglund Fjernvarme, Denmark
Aktiv-Stadthaus, ABG Frankfurt Holding, Germany
238% Plus-Energy-Building, Cavigelli Engineers, Switzerland
Ghella Office, RicciSpaini Architetti Associati, Alberto Raimondi, Italy
SOLARier - Gesellschaft für erneuerbare Energie, Austria
Pro Guben - Verein für Energie und Umwelt, Germany
131% Plus-Energy-Buildung Refurbishment, Hardegger Immobilien, Switzerland
ElectriCity, City of Gothenburg, Sweden
Solarbagger, Affentranger Bau, Switzerland
Geothermal system of the Egyptian Museum of Turin, PROECO e Onleco, Italy 
Kent Skaanning, Denmark