Spinning solar building produces 5x more energy than it uses
Inspiration came to Rolf Disch in the early 1990's, as local German government wanted to build a nuclear power plant near his home-town of Freiburg. Disch and fellow activists fought hard to make sure the nuclear plant was not built and as an alternative, Disch constructed the Heliotrope, a spinning, multi-storied example of what a solar home can be.
It spins slowly, timed to rotate 180 degrees throughout the day, maximizing incoming sunlight. Through panels on the roof and a railing system that doubles as a solar/thermal water heater, the house is able to heat itself, cool itself and provide electricity with a 400% extra boon of leftover power.
Disch calls it PlusEnergy and he believes it is a "fundamental environmental imperative" that homes are built with this concept in mind. Also notable is that the building is totally emissions free and carbon neutral.
The Heliotrope was the beginning of an entire city that has sprung up around it, known as the Solar Village, or Solarsiedlung, pictured above. It is a testament to forward thinking design engineering, blending liberal intentions with a conservative result.