Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Mann
Wacholderweg 12
75242
Neuhausen
Germany
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| phone | +49-7234-5128 |
| mobile | +49-172-7327364 |
| fax | +49-1212-5-127-43-578 |
| JM@juergen-mann.de | |
| time zone | CET (UTC+1) or CEST (UTC+2) |
| coordinates | 48°47'18" N 8°47'00" E |
| further information | satellite and aerial views |
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Neuhausen, altitude approx. 500 m above sea level, is located at the margin of the Black Forest approx. 18 km south east of the city Pforzheim, roughly in the middle between the cities Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, both located in the state Baden-Württemberg in the south west of Germany. The probably best known cities in the vicinity of Neuhausen are Weil der Stadt, the native town of the astronomer Johannes Kepler, and Calw, where the narrative writer and lyric poet Hermann Hesse was born.
Neuhausen can be reached by means of the bus line 742 from Pforzheim. The time table is irregular, during the day time there is usually at least one connection per hour.
For details on connections, refer to the query form of the Deutsche Bahn with the destination "Altes Schulhaus, Neuhausen". Fares and maps of the public means of transportation in and around Pforzheim can be found at Verkehrsverbund Pforzheim Enzkreis. The nearest train stations are Weil der Stadt (approx. 10 km) and Bad Liebenzell (approx. 8 km).
Take the exit "Heimsheim" from highway no. 8, direction Heimsheim. Following the main road through Heimsheim leads you to Hausen. After crossing the narrow old bridge in Hausen, turn right and about 50 m ahead to the left, direction Lehningen. At the end of Lehningen, turn right direction Neuhausen. There, follow direction Münklingen. Wacholderweg is the last street on the right-hand side, next to the cemetery.
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Of course, I have a lot of interests beyond my work. However, to preserve my privacy and to avoid a too boring text, I will only comment on a few of them that might also be of interest for others.
Despite the fact that I am working in close cooperation with the hydrocarbon industry, I am engaged in alternative energy sources. Besides being share holder of solar and wind energy companies, I also run two solar energy systems on my own. Below I compiled some facts and figures concerning these systems. Additional information on these and similar systems in the vicinity can be found in "Solarführer Nordschwarzwald" published by Goldstadt Verlag, Pforzheim, Germany, 1999.
In October 1996, 30 Kyocera KC 120 modules with a peak power output of 120 W each were installed on the roof of my house. Combined to a single circuit, they provide a voltage up to 500 V DC and a current of up to 7.1 A. A Sunways SWR-3000 DC/AC sine inverter with a nominal output power of 3000 W (actually up to 3300 W) feeds the power into the public mains. So far, the system did not require any maintenance. The average output remained virtually constant over the years: the monthly production rates are compiled in the figure below, of course strongly dominated by seasonal changes. Please note that the average power output is subject to seasonal changes, too.
In the first years, the rates for solar power were extremely low, about 0.08 EUR/kWh. Thus, it was more attractive to consume the produced power in house (replacing conventional power, approx. 0.20 EUR/kWh). Meanwhile, the regulations concerning solar power have significantly changed: I now receive 0.50 EUR/kWh, a rate guaranteed for 20 years. Under these conditions, the system provides an annual profit of about 6% - pretty acceptable in view of the current rate of interest.
As an additional and very convenient feature, these modules not only produce electricity, but also avoid an excessive heating of the roof in summer: the rooms below remain far cooler now such that active ventilation can be significantly reduced, again saving energy...
Fascinated by the performance of the photovoltaic system, I decided to add a photothermic system by Wagner in 1997: a flat collector with a surface of 6.4 m² provides hot water. A solar circuit controller CIRCO2 and a ECO G2 storage with a net volume of 400 l completes the system that provides water with up to 90°C.
Of course, this system is not able to provide a sufficient amount of hot water all over the year. Nevertheless, it provides pre-heated water even during winter, such that the conventional oil-based heating system saves energy in any case. The photothermic system requires only very little maintenance: after some years, steam tends to accumulate in the solar circuit and has to be released manually.
In contrast to the photovoltaic system, I do not exactly know the amount of energy provided by the photothermic system. Although it is possible to determine this by measuring water flux and temperature difference in the solar circuit, I have not yet installed such sensors. At least it is pretty clear that the efficiency of the circuit increases with decreasing temperature of the water to be heated. In other words, the more water is consumed, the more energy is gained. This feature is quite different to the behavior of the photovoltaic system where the production is independent of the electric power used in house.
Both systems have been planned and installed by Beck Solartechnik. I am very grateful for their smart way to connect the collectors on the roof with the devices in the cellar: all installations were made outside the building such that no rooms have been affected.
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