This week we had a very special project as our guest in Bad Staffelstein: The SolarButterfly, a solar-powered Tiny House with fold-out “butterfly wings”, stopped by on its world tour. Its mission is to promote more climate protection and the use of renewable energies worldwide. In order to inspire the younger generation in particular to find solutions to climate change, the SolarButterfly introduced itself to 200 schoolchildren, who were able to complete a knowledge course.
“For more than 40 years, we have been committed to the energy transition and a world worth living in,” explains Udo Möhrstedt, founder and CEO of IBC SOLAR. “It is therefore a special concern and a great pleasure for us to also inspire young generations for our mission.”
Knowledge about climate protection and renewable energies
The educational event took place on the premises of the IBC SOLAR Competence Center with a diverse programme. The pupils of the 5th classes upwards of the Viktor-von-Scheffel-Realschule had already dealt with the topics of climate protection and renewable energies in class, and at the event they were then able to apply their knowledge directly. There were 30 stations around the SolarButterfly. At each station, they had to answer questions that were later evaluated in the classroom.
Networking all over the world
The project is designed for the long term; the participating schools follow the SolarButterfly’s journey even after the station in their city. The aim is to visit and network climate pioneers all over the world in order to achieve a sustainable exchange of information.
From caterpillar to butterfly
The SolarButterfly is a solar-powered and self-sufficient Tiny House whose 40-square-metre wings are covered with solar cells and generate the energy for the vehicle that pulls the SolarButterfly. When the wings are unfolded, the SolarButterfly looks like a butterfly. Symbolically, it is meant to express the transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly, and to show that society can also change – away from fossil fuels towards the use of sustainable energies.
At the same time, the vehicle is also a camper van, which practically demonstrates how a family can travel, live and work today without CO2 emissions. The self-produced electricity is used to charge the battery of an electric traction vehicle, so that the SolarButterfly can travel up to 200 km per day without exhaust fumes. The Tiny House is also the world’s first real “rubbish vehicle”, as it was made largely from recycled plastic bottles fished out of the ocean. 
Climate goals
Since spring 2022, the SolarButterfly has been on a world tour, which this year will take it through numerous stops in Germany, Austria and Switzerland before continuing to the USA in June. In a total of four years, the SolarButterfly will travel to 90 countries until the team reaches its destination in Paris on 12 December 2025, just in time for the 10th anniversary of the Paris UN Climate Agreement.
We were very pleased to be able to host this great project. The students surely gained many new impressions. We will continue to follow the tour of the SolarButterfly with excitement.
thank you for the article