Archive for Greece
Energy Sustainable Island for Real Life Community
Posted by: | CommentsAn integrated renewable energy network shall be built on Ikaria Island (Greece), allowing renewables to become the backbone of public power supplies. Power supplies are presently covered 94% by diesels (6,050Kw installed capacity) and 6% from wind (385kW). The project represents the 1st phase of a programme aiming to turn this ratio in future to the opposite, namely 90% from renewables and only 10% from diesel. But already the present project (1st phase) is expected to cover nearly 50% of electricity demand from renewables.
Energy efficiency (practical projects)
Posted by: | CommentsThe first park for education on energy in Keratea of Attika was constructed by the Center of Renewable Energy Resources in order to provide education on renewable energy issues as well as to sensitize people on energy saving ways. It is the first thematic park which includes 4 educational areas, 8 demonstration units and 3 junctions aiming to help visitors to understand the energy production mechanisms from renewable resources.
The educational areas are the following:
* Wind area
* Hydrogen area
* Water area
* Solar area
The demonstration units are the following:
* Biomass unit for hot and cold water
* Geothermic unit for air-conditioning
* Pumping unit with photovoltaic systems
* Autonomous hybrid unit for the desalination of seawater
* Unit for production and storage of hydrogen through wind power
* Solar air-conditioning unit
* Hydroelectric unit
* Photovoltaic System for monitoring the sun
The junctions are the following:
* Junction for the history of renewable energy resources
* Junction for Geothermy
* Junction for other forms of renewable energy sources
Furthermore, the infrastructure has an amphitheatre where take place presentations of environmental programs and seminars.
Energy efficiency (practical projects)- BIOCLIMATISM
Posted by: | CommentsKalamata is a city of 45,000 inhabitants with a long history. It is situated in the south of the Peloponnese, in Greece. The Municipality of Kalamata in Greece applied the concept of bioclimatism when rebuilding one of its district. Speaking of bioclimatism, we refer to the passive use of the sun’s energy, i.e. its direct utilisation without transforming it into another form of energy, either electric, thermal or mechanical energy.
After the 1986 earthquake, the Municipality of Kalamata was faced with the task of rebuilding destroyed districts. The district concerned by the project is situated to the south-east of the old part of the town which is characterised by a high building density. Destroyed buildings were of different local styles combining modern elements taken from the modern part of the town with more traditional ones from the oldest part. The surface area covered by these buildings is 13,3 square meters and the ground has a 7% north-south gradient. The dry climate and low wind speeds prompted the idea of building low energy houses with direct or indirect solar heating. This project was innovative in the sense that it integrated already tested techniques into a widescale commercial project. Assessments and measures therefore mainly focussed on cost efficiency aspects. After the rebuilding, the Municipality of Kalamata sold the houses and flats once they were finished.
Street lighting
Posted by: | CommentsWith regards to the energy side of waste cycles, a recycling system has been implemented concerning the lamps of all the municipal buildings and the municipal network of lighting. Our city is currently carrying out a study for recording the energy consumed of the entire municipal network of lighting with the aim of upgrading the system with the addition of applying energy efficient measures such as the gradual replacement of sodium lamps of the municipal lighting network with those that use low energy.
Transport (sustainable mobility projects)
Posted by: | CommentsThis project concerns the eco-friendly transportation which is very important for the improvement of life quality (low CO2 emissions), health protection, and energy saving. In our city there is a daily operation of 19 thermic buses. The municipality of Amaroussion promotes the eco-friendly transportation and the use of public transport means such as bus, train, or subway. Furthermore, the municipality promotes and implements the inter-transportation between the neighboring municipalities free of charge. For citizens facilitation the municipality of Amaroussion has published a driver with the time-table. In addition through a campaign, the municipality of Amaroussion promotes the use of bicycle and generally aims to policies for raising awareness of the EcoMobility benefits. A briefing of the personnel and city’s residents for eco-driving is currently taking place. In addition, the municipality pays attention to the energy side of waste cycles. Thus, controls the waste of the municipal transportation buses and takes great care in regards to the safe disposal of dangerous ones. With regards to the cleaning of the municipal buses, we use eco-friendly products.
Intelligent and energy efficient buildings (both refurbishment and new build)
Posted by: | CommentsThe building sector is responsible for more than 30 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and more than 45 percent of energy consumption. Therefore, it is imperative to pay attention to the construction of new buildings or the refurbishment of old ones. Amaroussion’s municipality participates in a European project named Sec-Bench in the context of which there has being a registration of all buildings as far as it concerns the current situation with regards to energy. Amaroussion’s municipality participates in a national project named ‘SAVING’ which is about energy efficient interventions in municipal buildings. In addition, within the context of EU-funded projects, the municipality of Amaroussion implemented the installation of a photovoltaic system in selected municipal buildings. Paying attention to the energy side of waste cycle there is a recycling system in all municipal buildings. Furthermore, there have been energy investments in schools and other public buildings for substituting conventional fuels with natural gas: installation of natural gas in all the Municipal school units (29 in total) during the 1st phase and installation of natural gas in special needs school for children, in a technical institution and in municipal buildings such as the Town Hall, the Municipal Library and the Municipal owned gym named “Spyros Louis”. Since June 2005 there has been a system implemented to control the electric energy consumption and the heating fuel consumption in the Town Hall and other municipal buildings such as the municipal swimming pool and five school units.
Energy efficiency (practical projects)
Posted by: | CommentsThe practical projects of Amaroussion’s municipality with regards to the field of energy efficiency concern the installation of natural gas in the Municipal swimming pool, and in Municipal school units and the participation in co-funded projects either from the European Commission or nationally aiming at the constant improvement of the Municipality’s energy efficiency. Amaroussion’s activities -in the context of EMAS and specifically in the field of energy efficiency -can be summarised in the following: application of a recycling system in the Municipal Buildings, control of the heating fuel consumption in the Town Hall, briefing of the personnel and residents of the city, policy mapping out of green supplies and energy efficiency procurements, policy mapping out for the management of urban waste. Furthermore, it is in process to curry out a study for recording the energy consumed from the municipal network of lighting aiming at upgrading it and at applying energy efficient measures such as the gradual replacement of sodium lamps of the municipal lighting network.
Energy efficient procurements
Posted by: | CommentsEnergy efficiency procurements offer a powerful and cost-effective tool for achieving a sustainable energy future. The municipality of Amaroussion has already replaced all the municipal buildings light lamps with those of low-consumption energy. The municipality of Amaroussion participates in a European co-funded project named PRO-EE- “Public Procurement Boosts Energy Efficiency” in collaboration with CRES, Greece (Center of Renewable Energy Resourses). The objective of the project is to provide guidance and technical support to municipal governments, federal agencies, and other local organizations to improve the energy efficiency of the public sector, through energy-efficient procurement and overall public sector energy management. The project concerns energy efficient products-procurements such us equipment-lighting, office equipment (computers, monitors, printers, fax-machines, scanners), traffic lights, etc. In the context of EMAS, in Amaroussion’s municipality, there is no current policy which maps the green supplies of Amaroussion. Amaroussion’s municipality supports the cleaning products without harmful and dangerous supplies as well as the recycled paper etc.
