In Blieskastel in Saarland there is a building that always knows exactly what to do, and when. The Hager Group's research and application centre, launched together with the IT company IS Predict, was conceived as an intelligent solar polar plant that is more than 70 per cent independent of the external power grid. A software solution collects large amounts of data, say, about users' consumption behaviour or current weather forecasts, and uses it to make precise predictions about electricity needs. Self-learning and anticipatory, the building develops strategies that make storage and generation of its own energy more efficient.