Samsø is a 112 square kilometers island off the east coast of Denmark. Home to 4,300 residents, the island relies on renewable energy for 100% of its needs.  The island’s proposal won a Danish government competition and within ten years the community proved it could live entirely off renewable energy.

Objectives and target audience

In the late nineteen-nineties, the island’s inhabitants had a conventional attitude toward energy.  Most Samsingers heated their houses with oil, which was brought in on tankers. They used electricity imported from the mainland via cable, much of which was generated by burning coal. As a result, each Samsinger put into the atmosphere, on average, nearly eleven tons of carbon dioxide annually.
Then, quite deliberately, the residents of the island set about changing this. They formed energy coöperatives and organized seminars on wind power. They removed their furnaces and replaced them with heat pumps. By 2001, fossil-fuel use on Samsø had been cut in half. By 2003, instead of importing electricity, the island was exporting it, and by 2005 it was producing from renewable sources more energy than it was using.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Financial Resources: without any direct subsidy from the Danish government, the islanders built a 50 million Euro energy system.  80% the capital was raised from local investors, relying only on Danish laws and regulations.
In the four years of construction, the total investment in RES and RUE has been 49 mill. €, 41 mill. € coming from local firms, private households and the municipality
Until 2002, a national program subsidised the installation of biomass heating, solar collectors and heat pump systems, an incentive that convinced many homeowners to replace their oil furnaces and electric panel heaters.
Partners Involved: Samso Energy Agency coordinated the RE development in cooperation with Samso Trade Organisation, Samso Farmers Organisation and Samso Municipality.

Process

The project began in 1998.
Eleven 1 MW wind turbines were erected in 1999-2000 that would make the island self-sufficient with electricity. The wind turbines are owned by a windmill cooperative and by individual owners.
Local public meetings and citizens groups worked to generate the broadest possible base of public support for these initiatives.
Houses outside the district heating districts were given several different options. They could requisition an energy appraisal of their house, a report which gave specific suggestions for conversion to renewable energy, as well as advice on how to conserve energy by improving house insulation and installing better windows and class A electrical appliances. Until 2002, a national program subsidised the installation of biomass heating, solar collectors and heat pump systems, an incentive that convinced many homeowners to replace their oil furnaces and electric panel heaters.
Several small-scale projects started after the energy island project in 1998. These investigated the viability of methane gas, disposal site gases and canola oil for vehicle transportation. During this same period, seven household windmills and three PV solar collectors systems were established.
The foundation work for the ten offshore wind turbines started in 2002 and the offshore wind park was the biggest project in the renewable energy implementation plan. These wind turbines were erected to compensate for the CO2 emissions from the transport sector and to match the energy consumption in this sector. Technical solutions are not yet available that can replace all the island vehicles.
The Samsø Energy Academy was built in 2006 and opened its doors for visitors in 2007.

Results

The dependency on energy-import has been reduced from 7.3 mill.€ per year to 4.1 mill.€.  The emission of CO2 is reduced by 140%.
The number of “technical tourists” is approx. 1,000 per year, visiting the Energy Academy to learn from their experience.
The island provides 70% of its heat with district heating plants. Gradually, islanders are increasingly using biodiesel for liquid fuels.
For electricity, islanders installed 15 new wind turbines.  The turbines on land are owned individually by local farmers.
To compensate for liquid fuels used in transportation, the islanders installed ten 2.3 MW wind turbines offshore, two of which are cooperatively owned by 450 shareholders.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

During the brief summer months residents depend on the 50,000 visitors to the island. Traditional occupations for the remainder of the year, such as fishing, have been in steady decline. The move to renewables was considered essential for the “survival of the island.” The island and its year-round residents needed a new strategy.
Local public meetings and citizens groups worked to generate the broadest possible base of public support for these initiatives.

Project’s objectives: The project will have significant impact on the environment and on the socio-economical situation of the island.
Target audience: The benefiting island community totals in winter 7,500 inhabitants growing to 20,000 in summer.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Financial Resources : European Commission
Partnership : A number of partners co-operate to develop the project, each one with its specific know-how and resources. The partners are: PPC (Public Power Corporation), ENERIN  (Consorzio Ansaldo Energie Rinnovabili), Orengine Ltd., Istituto Tecnologico delle Canarie, Ikarian Co. for Development of Energy, Tourism and Water.

Process

• Local renewable energy sources available on the island, namely water, wind and solar power shall cover nearly 50% of total electricity demand.
• Create the basic infrastructures for future solar- and wind-power expansions allowing to reach the most cost-effective energy-mix totalling approximately 6 MW of wind-power allowing to cover 90% of the islands electricity demand from renewables
• Creation of an integrated hybrid (renewables + diesel) public power supply network on an island allowing for compensation between seasonally counter-phased renewables (hydropower available during winter, solar- and wind-power in summer).
• High penetration rates in a power grid of stochastically behaving, i.e. not-dispatchable(*) renewables (wind- and solar power) by exploiting the energy storage capacity of the system
• Development and divulgation of reference standards, best practices and modularity requirements favouring the replicability of the technology in other applications and areas of the world.
• Outcomes and lessons learned shall focus on the management of the energy storage facility serving to allow for high grid-penetration of non-dispatchable RE sources, independent from the type of energy storage adopted, i.e. whether it be a water storage adopting fresh water, brackish or sea-water, or else an electrochemical accumulator or any other type.

Results

The following table summarises the substantial environmental benefits expected to be produced by the project:

In addition the project will result also in quiet nights for the islanders (and for tourists), since generally it will become possible to stop all diesel (and the related noise) generators during most nights of the year, and to cover the night electricity demand only from renewables, namely hydro- and wind-power.
The following table presents the quantifiable socio-economic benefits to Ikaria Island expected to be generated by the project:

In addition the project is expected to generate a series of non-quantifiable socio-economic benefits such as:

• Ikaria will become an important candidate for “sustainable tourism”
• The project will introduce modern up-to-date technology on Ikaria Island
• training possibilities for islanders in sectors related to the project, and the local industries / enterprises will benefit from the availability of such qualified technicians
• The project will lay the foundations for future expansions of renewable energy capacities, which in turn will generate further income, employment and economic development.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

This case study describes a wind-energy project, located near the village of Vép, in Western Hungary, close to the Austrian border.  The focus is on the coordination and communication of the company – called Szélerő Vép Kht. – with the different groups and representatives of stakeholders.  Description of the authorization process is an important part.  This research is based on documents, brochures, articles concerning the project, and on interviews as well.

Objectives and target audience

Financial Resources and Partners involved

A large part of the already installed development was financed from EU support, the rest from bank credit and some own capital and similar is the financing strategy for the sec-ond and third phase, also involving grants and Austrian support.
Project cost: 862.000€
Partners involved:

• Hungarian Energy Office
• Ministry of Economy and Transport
• Local Government of Vép
• Administrative office
• Hungarian Trade Licensing Office (Technical safety licensing and inspection, Győr)
• Ministry of Environment and Water

Process

The wind farm built so far is the first phase of this investment. The second phase would include the construction of an additional three wind power stations with a total installed capacity of 4.8 MW.
The required environmental permits have all been granted, while construction permits are not all available. What is more, network connection agreement and the MEH (Hungarian Energy Office) permit are still missing.
The third phase of the investment would include the construction of 167 wind power stations with a total capacity of 32 MW and the issuing of connected environmental permits is already in progress.  The design phase and further permission-granting would be the next step.
The realization of these planned investment phases would have considerable additional influence on the life of the village of Vép since, based on the agreement signed with the Municipality, the company would spend the majority of its income on community purposes, thus the company would support developments related to local education as well as tourism and infrastructure.

Testing ESTEEM
The Hungarian Environmental Economics Centre (MAKK) has tested a draft version of the ESTEEM tool applying it to support the Vép wind project.  ESTEEM consists of six consecutive steps, which MAKK executed together with the project manager, Rudolf Piller during 2007.
The expectations of the project manager (PM) of Szélero Vép Kht were to explore and structure strategies that they can follow in order to be able to continue the project, to widen their field of contacts and negotiations from the local level, since locally they were already quite well prepared and ‘embedded’. The ESTEEM process entered the project line when it had already started, the first phase was implemented, but then further phases were blocked. Thus, it was not an early planning phase, but still a point of time when ESTEEM still had the potential to contribute. Its potential value was actually seen quite substantial if it could give a push to move further from the halted situation.
Step 1:  Past and present of the Vép wind project
Step 1 is constructed to establish the ESTEEM process. In a questionnaire aided interview, the project manager gave an account of the past from the project idea to the present status of his project in a systematic way, and based on this, the consultant drafted the first ‘substep’, the Narrative. The second substep, using two table templates examined the project put in its context, and identified what opportunities and barriers emerge from the policy, technologic, socio-economic, cultural and geographical environment. In the third substep the defining moments thus far in the life of the project were taken account of, their causes, consequences and irreversibility. The two major events were the erection of the first turbine and the national wind capacity limit that led to rejection of the permit of further turbines. The second and the third substep were first drafted by the consultant, then the PM reacted, corrected and complemented if it was necessary. In the fourth substep the project manager and consultant listed and briefly assessed the stakeholders of the project, their actual and potential role, interest, power and attitude.
During this step the consultant also got acquainted with the necessary details of the wind project. The step helped to build a common understanding between the consultant and PM. The PM deemed useful to reflect on the position of the project and it was a basis for strategy elaboration.
Step 2:  Vision building
In this step the PM’s and ‘core’ group stakeholders’ visions about the project and its context were constructed.  As an input, this formed the basis of comparisons of visions and analysis for the third step.
The present, intermediate (around till 2015) and future (2020-2030) PM’s visions, as well as the present and future social network maps were drafted by the consultant from Step 1 material and a phone discussion and then sent to PM for review and amendment. A meeting was then organised with the PM to finalise the visions and maps.
Step 3:  Collating visions
In this step MAKK analysed Step 2 material without much involving the project manager. The consultant first compared the PM’s visions with those of core stakeholders in order to discover in what they contradict and coincide and thereby to identify and characterize conflicting and synergetic issues. To this end, in the Conflicting Issues table the consultant listed numerous issues that characterised the vision of a given stakeholder, then examined which elements of these contradict or support the vision of the PM. There were only a few (but substantial) conflicting points, and quite many synergetic ones.

Step 4:  Identifying solutions
For each conflicting issue identified in Step 3, PM and MAKK searched, identified and discussed several possible solution options to overcome the controversies. The solution possibilities were divided into three categories: 1. adjustment of the design or operational mode of the wind turbines, 2. filling knowledge gaps through information provision and/or new research, 3. offering (or requesting) financial incentives. Eventually three of the four ranked conflicting issues were dealt with. The fourth issue (securing finance for advancing with the wind project) was dropped as it proved to be trivially solvable using bank loans and support funds once the major conflicting issue (having no permit from the Energy Office) is solved (that is its solvability is fully conditional on another major issue).
Step 5:  Stakeholder Workshop
A stakeholders’ workshop was held on November 16, 2007 to start discussions between stakeholders on their differing views, the barriers standing in the way of the Vép wind project and further wind developments so as to find compromising solutions for the blocked situation. The discussion was channelled into the themes of the three major conflicting issues selected in Step 3 and 4, but the solution options identified in Step 4 were only offered by the consultant for negotiation at a final point if stakeholders themselves did not mention those.
Step 6:  Planning for action
In the last step the consultant and PM synthesised and turned into action plans what they had learnt throughout the ESTEEM process – especially in Step 4 and the Workshop – about the adaptation possibilities of the wind  project and/or influencing its context. The goal of the action plans was to help the PM be able to move the project out of the current deadlock situation 1. by adjusting its features and operation mode whereby making it more acceptable for stakeholders 2. via collaboration with allies to achieve favourable changes in attitudes and rules/regulations of opposing stakeholders.

Results

The wind turbine in Vép replaces an annual amount of 600 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

Critical Success Factors

Icelandic New Energy (INE) is a company that promotes the use of hydrogen as a fuel in the transportation sector. INE is owned by the Icelandic holding company Vistorka (a cooperation platform made up of all the major power companies and research bodies as well as investment funds) and Daimler-Chrysler, Norsk Hydro and Shell Hydrogen. The company has been involved in developing the hydrogen economy in Iceland since 1999. INE works as an international project manager in demonstrations and research involving hydrogen applications for infrastructure, transportation and backup-power. These projects aim to facilitate Iceland’s transition to an economy which is run purely on renewable, local energy sources.
By 2006, the company had run a number of successful pilot projects, including a trial with three hydrogen fuel cell buses and an electrolytic production and filling hydrogen station (ECTOS project).
Along with this initiative several social surveys and inquiries with the public had been made indicating a general interest and positive attitude towards the idea of using hydrogen as a local energy carrier. INE was interested in testing a tool that could help address social acceptability issues for highly innovative technology projects.

Objectives and target audience

INE’s objective was to study and develop the use of hydrogen, hydrogen carriers, and fuel cells as energy systems in various fields of application in Iceland.
The political will transform Iceland into a hydrogen economy is very apparent as shown by the initiative for INE and the ECTOS Project. If hydrogen could be Iceland’s main energy carrier, the island would free itself from dependence on imported fossil fuels and it could easily reach its Kyoto protocol commitments on CO2  emissions. Iceland’s technical, financial and political communities see this development as a stepping stone towards reaching their objective, which is to be a self-sufficient energy provider for all the island’s energy requirements.
Because the ECTOS Project combines environmental and technological aspects, it is the first step in a foreseen transition to a hydrogen-based economy for Iceland. The main objectives of the project are:

• to gain experience in establishing a new infrastructure, interacting with the regenerative electric supply system;
• to estimate the cost and timeframe of integrating a new infrastructure for the fuelling distribution system of the future;
• to contribute to creating a CO2 -neutral public transport system;
• to gain public acceptance for the use of an alternative energy source to power the transport system that is independent of fossil fuel supplies;
• to study the life-cycle analysis of the equipment (buses and the filling station) and the fuel production chain.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

After an evaluation by a panel of experts, the EU decided to support ECTOS with 2.85 million EUR (3.4 million USD, at an exchange rate of .846 EUR/USD) out of the total cost of 7 million EUR (8.3 million USD).
Partners involved :

• Icelandic New Energy
• Vistorka
• DaimlerChrysler and EvoBus
• European Commission
• Shell Hydrogen
• Skeljungur in Iceland (Shell Iceland)
• Norsk Hydro Electrolysers
• University of Iceland

Process

About Iceland
The conditions on Iceland make it an ideal test ground for the new hydrogen economy. There are five main reasons for this:

1. Iceland is a small, highly developed society. It has a population of only 280,000, the majority of whom lives in the Reykjavik area, and some 180,000 vehicles. Because of this scale, small projects have more impact than they would in larger societies (three buses in Reykjavik comprise 4% of the total bus fleet).
2. Iceland has experience in switching from one energy source to another. Space heating was converted from oil to geothermal heating between 1940 and 1975. So there is a thorough understanding of the fine points of such a shift.
3. Iceland has standards and transport systems that are similar to those in most other developed countries. This means the results of any research project can be easily transferred to other sites.
4. The new hydrogen technology can be evaluated under the severe Icelandic weather conditions, seasonal changes, and a varied topography.
5. Iceland has the rare opportunity of being able to operate a hydrogen-based fuel project in a next to zero CO2  system. The island is already 99% dependent on renewable geothermal and hydroelectric energy. Therefore, the hydrogen will be produced by electrolyses run on electricity from geothermal steam turbines and hydropower.

Public support
Apart from these conditions, Iceland’s social environment is also ideal. Social acceptance of a hydrogen-based future is very high. A recent survey showed that 93 percent of the Icelandic people are very positive about the idea of replacing traditional fossil fuels with fuel cells. One of the key factors assumed to impact the public view is increased independence of the Iceland economy. In addition, Iceland’s technical, financial and political communities see the development as a means of achieving their ambition, which is to become a self-sufficient energy provider for all the island’s energy needs.
With the announcement of its aim to transform Iceland into a hydrogen economy in the near future, the Icelandic government has demonstrated that it is one of the main drivers behind the hydrogen project on the island. The vision is to see the transformation completed by the year 2050.
It goes without saying that many aspects still have to be investigated. Will there be cost
savings for customers? Will there be cost savings on a national level? How much assistance is the government going to give during the transition period? What new legislation is needed? The Icelandic authorities are evaluating these and other aspects in close co-operation with all the relevant parties.
Applying ESTEEM
Maria Maack is a project manager at Icelandic New Energy, where she works together the general manager of the company and another project manager at promoting hydrogen in Iceland. She has applied ESTEEM as an ‘in-house ESTEEM consultant’ at Icelandic New Energy.
The SMARTH2 project started to use ESTEEM in April-May 2007. As always, this was a busy time for the SMARTH2 project: Its governmental funding had just been announced publicly after years of negotiations with the companies that would be test users of the hydrogen cars and the suppliers of cars and other equipment. But Maria wanted to get an organizational overview and find out if views that were reported from former surveys were unchanged and perhaps understand underlying expectations; what stakeholders think about hydrogen in Iceland and how they perceive the SMARTH2 project within the local energy context. She decided to first organize a small workshop in Reykjavik, to which the Create Acceptance team of researchers would be invited as external facilitators.
The ESTEEM process starts with Step 1 ‘Project history, context and actors’. In SMARTH2, the ‘narrative’ was based on material that was familiar to Maria and her colleagues, but identifying the ‘defining moments’ was useful for creating self-awareness within the project management and assessing the status of project, and who were involved in problem solving during the design phase. Moreover, the ‘context analysis’ and ‘actors’ table’ proved useful to pinpoint who are the ‘active participants’ and their stakes concerning the project, this was linked to the work done for  Step 2. The ‘actors table’ also helped INE to devote more attention to ‘external’ and ‘peripheral’ stakeholders in addition to the owners and customers of the project.
Step 2 followed closely on the footsteps of Step 1. In this step, the visions of the project manager and those core stakeholders are articulated. The stakeholder visions were extracted by organizing a workshop (rather than through interviews as suggested to be the first choice in the ESTEEM manual). In preparation for the workshop, the social network maps for ‘PM present vision’ and ‘PM future vision’  were combined. They show that the SMARTH2 project is a complex project involving stakeholders in the fields of technology, science, society, policy/politics, market and partners/investors.
Moreover, each category of stakeholders involves representatives from different societal groups.
Step 3 ‘Identifying the conflicting issues’ was useful for organizing the results of the workshop and establishing priorities. Maria found the ‘issues rating graph’ useful for communicating priorities and inspiring a search for solutions. As a result, continuity and local visibility were identified as having high urgency and priority, and these are the issues that SMARTH2 started working on right after Step 2.
Step 4, ‘Portfolio of options’ focuses on identifying options to improve the social acceptability of the project. Because INE started solving the problems right after the workshop, the Step 4 tables were used in SMARTH2 to monitor which issues had already been solved and to follow the development of the issues and solutions in the time following the workshop.
Step 5, ‘Getting to shake hands’, consists of organizing a workshop for stakeholders. The most urgent issue, and most problematic was to get all stakeholders to the future scenario workshop, including opponents and those who influence the general discourse in society. This event can be interpreted as a demand from the public through INE to make the governmental policy on hydrogen more visible in the local context. Also to encourage a broad discussion on all types of alternative fuels in the local context. This has many conflicting issues that need to be at least discussed at the same level: hydrogen versus other types of fuel, fuel security, governmental support without suppressing private initiatives, research policy, financial policy, taxation policy, current energy infrastructure, agriculture and energy use etc. The issues were so many, so broad and so close to the core activities of Icelandic New Energy that Maria decided to ask the University to step in and conduct this stakeholder workshop and act as a go-between for the government, the company and all those who may have stakes in a new fuel economy in the Icelandic context. Maria on the other hand mobilized the ministry of Industry, the oil companies, those interested in local and global economy development and others that had appeared on the original map of actors within the SMARTH2. The ESTEEM Workshop cookbook was introduced to the University as a framework for the next actions. Four students and two department chefs were engaged since the goal became to outline a frame that could give rise to research projects on all types of new fuels and energy carriers for the Icelandic society.
Step 6, ‘Recommendations for action’. After the workshop, Maria sat down to think about the next steps. First, she listed the main results from the workshop in terms of acceptability of the different options suggested. She also made a list of the new options that emerged from the workshop. For planning where to take it from there, she started out by filling in the
‘acceptance and feasibility table’. Using these tables, Maria drew up for INE a short-term action plan, a collaboration plan and a long-term capacity building and monitoring plan. Moreover, the workshop helped her to update INE’s communication plan and include there the new actions that need to be communicated to the stakeholders.

Results

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

The outcome of the ECTOS Project could have major implications for the future of hydrogen power globally. Many other countries are increasingly sourcing energy from renewable sources that can also be used to produce hydrogen. The ultimate challenge for these countries is producing the hydrogen and establishing an infrastructure for its delivery. The ECTOS Project could serve as a model to the rest of the world for a hydrogen-based future.

Archimede Project is a solar power plant project under construction in Sicily. The Archimede Project represents the first application worldwide of the integration of a gas – burned combine cycle power plant and a thermodynamic solar energy system. The project is named Archimedes, after the famous resident of the nearby city of Syracuse. The existing gas-fired power plant on the site will be augmented by Archimedes, which should produce 5 megawatts of electricity, enough for 4,500 families. ENEA has set up several new projects aimed at addressing some of the major issues in the fields of energy and the environment, amongst which, a vast research programme in Clean energy, focused on Distributed energy and renewable sources (Clean carbon; Bio fuels; Thermodynamic solar power). This institute has been involved in developing the solar thermo dynamic project since 2000, when the Italian Government granted an extraordinary contribution to Enea, by the Law n°388/2000 for a research program, development and demonstrative production to the industrial scale of electric power by using solar energy as source of heat for high temperatures. This law stated that the phase of realization of the Archimede plant would be realised by Enea in collaboration with an industrial partner. In 2004  Enel , Italy’s largest power company and Europe’s second-largest utility for installed capacity, was involved in this project. The mirrors are the core in the plant, the result of the partnership Enel-Enea. A field of large mirrors concentrate solar radiation on pipes containing an auxiliary fluid. The heat is used to raised the temperature of the fluid and keep it high, in order to take advantage of solar power at any time of the day or during any weather condition.
On the 26 March 2007, Enel and Enea signed an agreement, in order to build the ‘Archimede’ plant in Priolo Gargallo. In this second phase of the project, Enel, became the main contractor.

Objectives and target audience

The aim of this project is  to develop a technology that will produce energy by solar source, offering an efficient alternative to oil energy and a path to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. It will increase with 5 MW the power of the existing combined loop plant in Priolo, entirely through renewable source, allowing Enea to use its scientific results into a commercial standard plant and to produce green energy at market prices, with an industrial national partner.
The first production of energy is forecasted for the end 2009 or beginning 2010.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

The Archimedes project is part of Enel Environment Plan which provides investment for more than 4 million euros between now and 2011 new plants using renewable sources and research and development of environment-friendly technologies.
Partners involved:-

• Enea;
• EnelArchimede solar Energy;
• A consortium of industrial suppliers.

Process

Applying ESTEEM
The Esteem tool was applied on the Archimede project. In 2007, the tools were tested along their six steps, with Ceris/CNR as a ‘consultant’ to project management representative (PM), M. Mauro Vignolini, Enea.

Step 1:  Project history, context and actors
The ESTEEM process starts with the ‘narrative’ of the Archimede project. Ceris could describe the project past and present, using the interviews with the project management and material gathered by other sources.
Starting by the project narrative, defining moments have been identified, during which the project has been modified. This sub step helped to clarify the events and the actors involved. It was very useful for the PM since it represented a synthetic vision of the past and present project history. It was a reflection moment on the chronological events and on the internal changes of this project.
The ‘context analysis’ and ‘actors’ table’ were the tools that helped PM and consultants to have a clear idea of the barriers and opportunities related to the project, and to identify the ‘key actors’ involved in the Archimede project. Ceris enriched the context in which the project will be put into, looking for information sources such as national or local debates, policy initiatives and laws.

Step 2:  Vision building
Starting from the past and present situation, the next step envisaged the project future, trying to identify major changes that could happen in its social dimensions, such as politics, societal, market science technology. Key actors were also identified accordingly.
Ceris and PM discussed about the future visions and together made the selection of the core stakeholders, on the basis of the project context analysis.
The time considered for the future visions was no more than 5 years, that is the visions concerning the project. Ceris has chosen to follow the method of the individual  interviews rather than the organization of a workshop, considering it was more suited to this case. Representatives of the Italian Ministries of Economy, of Environment, and managers of Enel (future PM) and of the Consortium of industrial suppliers (leader) were interviewed one by one.
Based on the single recorded interview, Ceris designed for each vision the future social network map. This was necessary mainly because the key actors participate with different interests.
Comparing the drafted visions, interesting remarks emerged, such as a time horizon difference between the future vision of different stakeholders: some had very short term orientations and others had rather long term ones. Equally, different level of commitments were observable (short term visions were often associated with weakest commitment).

Step 3:  Vision confrontation
Ceris has worked on all the inputs gathered, to find a feasible direction of this project, gaining a clear view of the alignments and misalignments within the project.
At this point, it became clear for the consultant that the project is entering in the demo industrial phase and that there are no significant oppositions to it. In the short term the project will find a realization, due to a convergence of all the key actors, for different reasons and interests. At the same time, new roads are opening for long terms technology evolution and application.
This reflection helped to pinpoint possible conflicting issues in terms of problems and opportunity for the solar thermodynamic technology future.

Step 4:  Identifying solutions
Closely related to the previous reflections, this step was crucial and revealed the room for action towards this pilot project.
In this demo, it proved less useful to compare the PM position with other stake holder’s options.
Instead, all stakeholders were asked to position themselves freely on some critical issues, to be collectively debated. Participating in the stakeholder workshop, they could imagine interesting possible alternatives.

Step 5:  Stakeholders workshop
The conclusions drawn from previous steps were presented during a semi structured Workshop organised by Ceris in December 2007. The consultant considered this event as a strategic moment to test the commitment and the feasibility of new roads for the technology, highlighting the differences among stakeholders’ future visions and facilitating a free confrontation.
The aim was to produce a much higher awareness of the viability of the alternatives to solar thermodynamic technology. Another goal was to jointly define the pathway of the project with regard to technology development, feasibility and long term support for the project.
One particularity of Archimede, as a project, is the high level of institutionalisation of its stakeholders. Ceris had to take this fact into account to adapt and apply ESTEEM.
CNR contacted and informed each of the participants, involving not only the core stakeholders group but also representative of the civil society: NGO’s, environmental and consumer associations, industrial associations.

During this meeting all of them discussed three main issues proposed by CNR:

• Availability of sites and production of energy from solar thermodynamic in Italy
• Techno-economical efficiency of the plants and production in Italy or export of this technology
• The role of the Italian government: what we can learn from other experiences?

The number of participants allowed an open and lively discussion on matters such as technology, market and political issues related to the project. It has been a unique occasion for the project manager to present some clarification directly to the Government on some key aspects of the technology applications. The interest of Archimede in terms of storage and high temperature as well as underline the existence of alternative storage applications, such as diathermic oil was exposed, as well as the existence of several investment projects abroad. The technology, even in its early experimental phase, seemed to have already attracted some clients. Environmental associations did not fully share the visions presented, and this dialogue will probably have to be carried out further in the near future.

Step 6:  Recommendations for action
The reactions and remarks collected from the stakeholders were summarized. Ceris could identify three kinds of activities that did not required substantial change of the original plan:

• A short term action plan might include further investments in the thermodynamic solar technology to facilitate its diffusion, as well as some efforts in the component industry.
• A Collaboration plan aimed at mobilizing the ‘right people’, including a close relation and coordination between the different European , national and regional levels.
• Finally, a long term action plan, that can be supportive to the new PM, aimed to strengthen the communication channel and to check the social acceptance, organizing for example initiatives towards young people, and monitoring the European policy for the solar technology.

The solar plant consists of a solar field of 40acres, a storage system and a steam generator. In the modular solar field the solar energy is collected in 360 linear parabolic collectors with a surface of 200.000. The movable collectors are arranged in parallel rows that each form a single string. The number of strings determines the thermal energy and thus the power of the plant. ENEA introduced a new fluid heat carrier (mixture of sodium and potassium) in order to increase the operating temperature and the possibility of storing heat. Another innovation of ENEA is the design of a new type of concentrator based on thinner mirrors that saves construction and installation costs.
The use of large scale heat storage is another innovation in the Archimedes project. Due to two storage tanks operating at different temperatures, the plant provides heat to the steam generator at a constant rate 24 hours a day, regardless of variations in solar energy availability. The steam generator consists of ‘tube and shell’ heat exchangers in which heat is transferred to water to produce super-heated steam for use in a conventional thermoelectric plant. The Archimedes project is the first of its kind in the world. Apart from disseminating new technologies, ENEA also wants to stimulate the creation of a self-sustained market. The sunlight, especially in the south of Italy, can make the country rely mainly on solar power.

Results

The plant’s battery of the 360 parabolic mirrors will focus the sun’s rays on pipes, through which runs a saline liquid that can store heat up to 550 °C and retain it for hours.
The addition of the solar plant to the power station should significantly reduce the amount of gas burnt at the plant and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 7,300 tonnes.
The Esteem tool allowed the PM of Archimede project to enlarge his vision to socio-economic aspects and to include new stakeholders. It has been useful  for putting into evidence the necessity of working stakeholders such as the public, the media, the non expert decision makers and how they can frame the technology from the early moments, building positive expectations. The workshop has been a key moment for the PM to present some clarification in a public forum on some critical aspects of the technology applications and potentiality. Esteem has produced mainly an improvement of the Archimede project communication strategy towards environmental and social associations and the large public, together with a list of recommendations directly presented by stakeholders.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges?

In general, the aesthetics of standard photovoltaic modules is a major obstacle for broader diffusion of the technology. Other relevant factors that emerged by this experience is the attitude of monument protection authorities. They need to be ‘educated’ about innovative solar technologies, due to the considerable lack of knowledge.
A strong recommendation is made for several activities that are needed to overcome the barriers that the project faced.
The main ones are:

1. transferability of results
2. disseminations
3. training and teaching
4. networking.

Finally, the economic aspect must be regarded as a key factor: this is a concerns for all the stakeholders. The existing incentives have to be made more efficient with respect to innovation and design; financial support systems should be long-term oriented, in order to decrease risk and attract private investments; an effective incentive scheme should devote part of the financial resources to promotion and information dissemination activities. On the other hand, the interest of SMEs and architects is concentrated on costs and amortization aspects and about how much improved aesthetics can cost more than the standard version.

Greater Lyon has adopted a strategic action plan for the development of Renewable Energies.  RESTART has started the implementation of the action plan on the building sector, from social housing.  The project concerns 200 dwellings, which use innovative technologies to reduce the energy consumption by 20%.  It is expected that, each year, 20% of residential buildings in the Lyon area will be built according to these technologies.

Objectives and target audience

To use the large savings potential in the residential sector of Greater Lyon, owners are encouraged to implement sustainable building renovation strategies.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Funds for this have been provided through the European Commission’s THERMIE programme set up to encourage renewable energy strategies in cities.  Financial support is provided in the form of grants for renovation.
The concept behind a reduced VAT rate to encourage investment in RES and EE measures is an excellent way to stimulate the local industry and wider implementation.
Renovation project:

• Energy investment (Euro) 1,001,662
• Extra cost (Euro/m2 dwellings) 6.54

Project Team:-

• Grand Lyon
• Région RhonesAlpes
• Rhônalpénergie environnement
• ADEME
• INSA
• Technical Project Assistance
• Local RESET Team
• AGORA’

Process

The project Cours Jean Damidot -Villeurbanne is situated in an urban area, near many facilities, primary schools, house of association, swimming pool and shops. The building is designed for the users particularly children, as they will have green spaces separate from streets and located on the south facade.

• Number of dwellings: 17
• Green houses: 15
• m2 solar collectors: 20
• Energy performance: 104 kWh/m²

Les Fossés de Trion – Lyon building is situated in a periphery urban area, well equipped: primary schools, colleges, high school, hospital, university, theatre, swimming pool and shops. However, the location is better adapted to car users than pedestrians. Buses are available but cycling is difficult because of the characteristics of the site.

• Number of dwellings: 49
• Green houses: 27
• m2 solar collectors: 60
• Energy performance: 132 kWh/m²

The building project Place Antoinette/Cours Vitton is situated in an urban area with an average rate of public equipment: primary schools, sport centre and shops. Green spaces are located on the north side due to urban continuity constrains.

• Number of dwellings: 25
• m2 solar collectors: 40
• Energy performance: 111 kWh/m²

The project Avenue Berthelot is situated in an urban area, near many facilities, primary schools, university, hospital and shops. The building is designed for the users, particularly children, as they will have green spaces separate from the street and located on the south facade.

• Number of dwellings: 40
• Green houses: 40
• m2 solar collectors: 75
• Energy performance: 111 kWh/m²

Rue Léon Blum Villeurbanne is situated in an urban area, near many facilities, primary schools, house of associations, swimming pool and shops.
The building is designed for the users particularly children, as they will have green spaces separate from streets and located on the south facade.

• Number of dwellings: 19
• Green houses: 15
• Energy performance: 136 kWh/m²

ZAC des Balmes is situated in an urban area with classical equipment: school, sport centre, shops. Every house has its own garden.

• Number of dwellings: 36
• Direct solar heating: 22
• Energy performance: 156 kWh/m²

The project in street Pierre Delore is situated in the Urban area with good south orientation. It has 5 levels.

• Number of dwellings: 27
• m2 solar collectors: 54
• Energy performance: 112 kWh/m²

In order to help the coordination of the project, a common guidebook for the design of efficient buildings has been developed and proposed to the public housing organisations partners of RESTART
The guidebook is based on the following elements:
A global approach on architecture, energy, water, environment applied to the design of social housing.
A targeted decrease of the total cost of energy and water for the occupants, the total energy plus water charges should not exceed 12,20 € /m²/year with a better comfort with specifications for the design of the buildings:-

• 20 compulsory measures: for example on architecture, acoustic, thermal comfort, reduction of air pollution, water savings, lighting, wastes, maintenance;
• 6 options (1-direct solar water heating system, 2-solar hot water, 3-green houses, 4-DSM, 5-water recovery from rain,6-improvement of insulation).  The designers have to choose at least one option among the firsts 3 options, and one among the last 3 )
• the possibility to develop photovoltaic applications if possible.

It was expected that the combination of these measures will reduce the energy consumption by 30 to 40%, while the total cost for energy and water is reduced by 40 to 50%.
To develop the guidebook, different meetings with persons in charge of social housing organisations have been organised.  Some modifications of the guidebook have been integrated to take into account specific problems.  During the design phase of the project, the guidebook was the basis for the specifications of the buildings.
RESTART guide book is now the reference for the building sector in Great Lyon, this is a very important success for the RESTART project.

The energy features:-
Energy Supply:-

• Energy efficient collective heating systems
• Condensing gas boilers
• ctive solar water heating

Architectural – Building technologies:

• Solar veranda (pre-heat ventilation air)
• Passive solar design considered in orientation
• Low E double glazing
• Insulation standards over and above building regulations

Environmental Services HVAC: -

• Humidity controlled ventilation
• Low NOx emission boilers
• Direct solar underfloor heating

Lighting and Controls:

• Compact Fluorescent lighting installed

Results

The project Cours Jean Damidot -

• Savings vs. standards: 45%
• Share of renewables: 19%

Les Fossés de Trion – Lyon building

• Savings vs. standards: 31%
• Share of renewables: 12%

The building project Place Antoinette/Cours Vitton

• Savings vs. standards: 42%
• Share of renewables: 16%

The project Avenue Berthelot

• Savings vs. standards: 42%
• Share of renewables: 9%

Rue Léon Blum Villeurbanne

• Savings vs. standards: 29%
• Share of renewables: 13%

ZAC des Balmes

• Savings vs. standards: 18%
• Share of renewables: 23%

The project in street Pierre Delore

• Savings vs. standards: 40%
• Share of renewables: 19%

Saving 910.000 Euro/y

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

When developing an action plan for a city or town it is essential to involve the local community in both the decision-making and implementation process.  This is particularly important for reinforcing the commitment and active participation in reducing energy consumption.  As such, awareness workshops and campaigns are very useful for stimulating the local interest in similar conditions.

Compared with a classic hydroelectric plant, the energy generation upon potable water conveyance offers numerous advantages. The environmental impacts, related to this system and integrated in a project with multiple choices, are very slight. The forced pipe is not specific to the system because it also feeds the potable water network of Megève. Moreover, pipes are buried, and catchments are on the hill. There are no visual impacts because the system is located in the basements of the Sports Centre and is invisible. In the same way, no additional disruption of the aquatic ecosystem is endangered by the energy promotion of an existing water network. The sound impacts are probably the most important, and are simply felt in a limited area inside the Sports Centre. They do not disrupt in any way to the normal functioning of the Centre, except in case of concerts in the Conference room, where, most of the time, turbines are stopped. At the level of the potable water quality, there is no problem because water that has already passed through  the turbines is not supplied back into the water network, but drained off in the stream of the Arly. The re-introduction of the water into the network that has already gone through the turbines, is possible, but not really economically interesting in the case of Megève because it requires the functioning of pumps to bring water back to the working pressure, which is approximately 7 bars. Generally, there is no reason for not supplying the water that has gone through the turbines in the potable water network. In other plants, there is no major problem to report, except an increase of ventilation following the fact that water has gone through the turbines. The hydroelectric system does not bring any chemical water pollution. Nevertheless, it is possible to take additional precautions by using food fat in bearings and/or by putting in waterproof bearings on the turbines.

Objectives and target audience

To reduce the use of the non renewal resources and to innovate the production processes (technologies alternative).

Financial Resources and Partners involved

The investment relative to the putting back of the turbine into service, and to its automation is to 234 000 euros between 1981 and 1985, representing an investment of about 830 Euro/kW. The maintenance of the system is cheap, and carried out  by the maintenance shifts of the sports centre. Now, the turbine works at approximately 4 800 hours a year. Annual savings linked to the micro plant are about 38 100 euros/year in the field of the electricity self-consumed (pumps, turbo compressor, light…), and 7 620 euros coming from the sales of the energy produced to the French Electricity Company.
Partners involved:  MEGEVE City Municipality.

Process

The hydroelectric micro plant is located in the Sports and Conference Centre of Megève, which is a multifunctional and covered complex of 9 320 square metres (sports, pool, ice rink, shows, conferences). Built at the same time as the Sports Centre, it dates back to 1968, and belongs, just like the latter, to the town of Megève. In 1978, the annual consumption of fuel oil reached 540 000 litres. That is why the Municipality of Megève decided to undertake an important programme, in the long term, of energy economy to reduce this consumption and for a better use of the hydraulic energy available: Replacement of the 2 boilers of 1 850 kW by 2 boilers of 464 kW.

• Installation of a heat pump water-water of 70 kW driven by the turbine.

• Improvement of the recovery of calories from the turbo compressor producing ice for the ice rink and heating water for pools.

• In 84-85, there was an increase of the capacity of the reservoir of the Livraz from    1 000 to 5 000 square metres, optimization and automation of the working turbine, generator, heat pump, home consumption of the energy produced, sale of the surplus, and purchase of water if there is a lack of it, priority always being obviously given to public consumption.

Results

The results are considerable because the annual consumption of fuel oil has thus, on average, gone from 540 000 to 180 000 litres a year since 1983. And this despite important expansions such as an outside Olympic pool (50 m) in 1981, a gymnasium and covered tennis court of 2 500 square metres in 1984, heated by circulation in the ground of the water of pools (27°C), the latter being heated by the turbo compressor of the ice rink, etc. The electric consumption of the Centre is approximately 1 200 MWh/a. The volume of water going through the turbine is, in average, of 1 500,000 sq.m./y.
Company and especially to the electricity self-consume on the site, Megève can ensure the annual running of the Sports and Conference Centre at a competitive price, and offer its inhabitants and tourists great cultural and sports facilities.
The people in charge of the system of the hydropower micro plant of Megève are unanimous as for the quality of facilities : their profitability (due to the low cost of investment compared with a classic system) and their slight impacts on the environment are just so many elements which should, in the future, win over more and more other local authorities. All these are significant assets which add to the satisfaction of producing and using a clean and renewable energy, in prospect of a sustainable development and of an harmonious town and country planning.
The short and medium-term prospects of the persons in charge are, in this field:

• to replace, over approximately 600 metres, the pipe of a diameter of 300 m by a pipe of a diameter of 350 m, to reduce the losses of charge, and then increase the efficiency of the turbine (made and in operation since May 2002).

• to use, on another site, an already existing pipe for potable water conveyance of a diameter of 250 m and of a length of 1 000 metres, to settle a Pelton turbine of 100 kW on it.

• to study, between May and October, the action of the turbines over important supplies of stand by water, recently created for the production of artificial snow (snow-blowers), and only used between November and April.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

The Lighthouse has become Scotland’s Centre for Architecture and Design and accommodates a major retailer, offices and an Architecture and Design Centre.  The Lighthouse hosts the renewable energy advice centre for the promotion of renewable energies.  Natural lighting, active solar systems, photovoltaic, modules and passive ventilation and cooling systems are implemented.

Objectives and target audience

A key objective throughout the scheme was to produce an environmentally sensitive design that achieves the lowest practical energy demand through the utilisation of innovation in the context of an existing building.
As the centrepiece of Glasgow’s response to it’s selection as European City of Architecture and Design in 1999 the building has been used to demonstrate opportunities of urban renewable energy.
The “Viewing Gallery” an integral part of the building’s refurbishment was designed to achieve low energy demand through effective passive solar design, and improved thermal performance standards achieved.
The design team then used energy simulation software to produce a renewable energy solution capable of meeting a significant portion of this reduced demand.
The key benefit to the adoption of this strategy is that power is generated when it is required and can be used directly as oppose to exporting to the grid.
In order to describe the scheme further this report will first consider the methods used to reduce the energy demand and then describe the renewable energy technologies which will meet a significant proportion.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Funds for this have been provided through the European Commission’s THERMIE programme set up to encourage renewable energy strategies in cities. Glasgow City Council and fellow members of the “REStart” project, including Turin, Barcelona, Lyon and Dublin, are working together on energy measures to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Techno-investment 1.028.101 euro.
Project Team :
Glasgow City Council
Scottish Enterprise Glasgow
Energy & Sustainability consultant ECD Energy & Environment.

Process

The design brief for the Viewing Gallery required the development of a low energy scheme that will not have a negative impact on the aesthetics of the existing
building.  The technologies chosen to meet these
criteria included the following components:-
Low emission argon filled double glazing to reduce winter heat loss and summer solar gain;
Transparent insulation materials with integral shading provided to facades to reduce winter heat loss whilst increasing daylight utilisation and solar heat gain;
Improved insulation standards over and above building regulations were applied where it was practical to do so.
For the building as a whole it was important to minimise the major energy demands as far as practically possible.  The following technologies were used to achieve this:-

• Illuminance responsive lighting control designed to maximise use of natural daylighting & minimise use of artificial lighting;
• Displacement ventilation strategy where the extract air velocity is varied in accordance with the number of people in the space controlled by CO2 sensors located in the extract;
• Underfloor heating system installed to maximise operating efficiency of gas fired condensing boilers;
• Within the “Viewing Gallery” the following renewable energy technologies were used to meet deman:-
• Facade mounted PV (10m2) with integral heat recovery;
• roof mounted ducted wind turbines (DWT) with integral Photovoltaic (PV) cells;
• The Ducted Wind Turbines (DWT) produce electricity predominantly during the winter period where windy conditions occur frequently and the PV facade can contribute little.

In the summer period when winds are lighter the PV facade is predominantly responsible for supplying the power. During the spring and autumn periods when winds are light and the solar contribution reduced both systems contribute.
This combination of the way in which the systems are used gives rise to an embedded renewable energy approach that is ideal for the climate of Glasgow, this could only have been achieved by using the simulation software to direct the design from the outset.

Results

Saving  3.432 kWh/y, Renewable energy 32%.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

Charles Berry, Managing Director of Scottish Power’s Energy Supply business, said Scottish Power was uniquely placed in the energy sector to offer a green energy scheme. The company was an experienced renewable energy generator with a well-established customer service infrastructure, including a new multi-million pound utility billing system.
“We believe that ‘Green Energy’ is an ideal opportunity for customers and other stakeholders who want to encourage renewable energy and we are delighted our first customer, The Lighthouse, shares this aim,” he added

Lighthouse Director Stuart MacDonald said:-
“The building provides an exciting illustration of how sustainable energy features can be incorporated seamlessly in to the overall design, even within the city centre, and Green Energy also fits in well with the concept.
“In his own work Mackintosh demonstrated a respect for nature and awareness of energy conservation and we are sure he would have approved”.

Environment, technology and development.  This is the lifemotif of the several activities supervised by the Environment Park of Turin.
From the energy theme, with the Observatory that gives advice to enterprises and authorities, to the theme of hydrogen, with the centre of excellence on HySy Lab technologies.
Environment Park was built on the initiative of Regione Piemonte, City of Turin and European Union, it represents an innovative experience in Europe because it is the first Technological and Scientific Park dedicated to the environmental technologies.

Objectives and target audience

The first objective of the Park is to promote the development of the applied research to favour the integration of the environmental principle on the production and on the consumption process through the support to the technological innovation and to the development of the environmental business
Environment Park pursues this objective by the making of a cluster dedicated to the research activity and the environmental development, where research enterprises and authorities could to carry out their activities using the spaces with facilities and the base services, and also to benefit from exchange and comparison opportunity with different experiences.
The Technologic Park has also the task of facilitate the cooperation of little and middle enterprises with the research world: with the projected settling of Authorities like the University of Turin, Applied-science faculties of Turin and CNR, Environment Park represents an ideal solution for the development of technological innovation and scientific research.
The Park wants also to promote the creation of innovative enterprises in the sectors linked to environment and to the sustainable development, giving technical managerial and financial supports in the start-up period of the new enterprises.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

SHAREHOLDERS    N. SHARES    CAPITAL    %
Comune di Torino    1454    479.820,00    11,20 %
Provincia di Torino    1454    479.820,00    11,20 %
Finpiemonte S.p.A.    3737    1.233.210,00    28,79 %
C.C.I.A.A. di Torino    1779    587.070,00    13,71%
AAM S.p.A.    1759    580.470,00    13,55%
AMIAT S.p.A.    1778    586.740,00    13,70 %
IRIDE Energia S.p.A.    419    138.270,00    3,23%
SMAT S.p.A.    419    138.270,00    3,23%
Unione Industriale di Torino    161    53.130,00    1,24%
Università degli studi di Torino    19    6.270,00    0,15%
Totale    12979    4.283.070,00    100,00%

Process

Environment Park was built in 1996 on the initiative of Regione Piemonte, Provincia of Turin, of the Municipality of Turin and European Union and represents an original experience in the panorama of Technologic and Scientific Parks in Europe, for the connection of technological innovation and eco-efficiency.  Environment Park building complex has 30.000 squared meters with laboratories, offices, service centres in a building contest characterized from low environmental impact solutions.
The area is about two million of squared metres (named “Spina 3”) that the Regulating Plan indicates as an area of transformation, destined to put out gradually the maxim urban concentration of services, research and advanced production (the EuroTorino complex). The Spina 3 urban retraining process requires the environmental reclamation and recover of abandoned and often polluted areas, particularly rediscovery of the Dora sides, as a central value for the reconstruction of urban landscape
For the area of Environment Park the Regulating Plan suggests the realisation of a river park on the two sides.
The complex of Environment Park is composed by two compact groups of buildings, built on three levels (levels 0, 1, 2): particularly the level 1 is structured as a big platform, which covers the carparks, upon which several buildings rest. In fact, several buildings are built as a compact whole and present themselves as totally covered by extensive lawns, usable as public park, and separated by the wide split of the green valley.
The architectonic project of Environment Park pursues a strong, technical and symbolic, relation among the greenness and the new architectures.  The roofs covered with ecological lawn, the links by embankment, the low settling density, the insertion of nature in several parts of the built complex and, overall, the wide use also of sperimental techniques of energetic saving, are some points considered more qualifying.  The idea which comes from is the construction of a united landscape able to link river, garden and Technological Park in a system of land architecture with a vocation deeply ecological and environmental.  The rivers of the Dora become integrating and qualifying part of the park and of the landscape of Environment Park.  A band of respect of 70 meters signs the limit of suitability for building: the front built follow exactly the bend of the river.  The idea is to minimize the artificial sign: it is the sign of the river which build the form of the town.
The entire complex, all covered by the greenness, seems to the citizenship as a real public park, completely exploitable by the people who live in the neighbourhood and by who attend the Environment Park.
The distribution of the volumes pursue this logic of redistribution of density of the buildings. This allow to dilute, dissolve the buildings built in the nature, in the landscape: particularly: the buildings for office are low, levelled out in the greenness of the park.
In the complex, there is the unique system in Europe which enable to produce hydrogen transforming the wastes of cheese, milk and sausages production.  The process exploits the natural and simple fermentation actuated by anaerobic bacteriums which metabolising the organic substance which is in the wastes produce the hydrogen which could be used according to the necessities.  These bacteria come from the sludge of depuration of the Complex “Po Sangone”.  With this system it is possible exploit the 80% of the potential energy of biomass.
Environment Park is moreover the first former industrial district in Europe completely carbon-free.  On July 2008, a hydroelectric plant was finished, it during the day furnishes electrical clean energy to all the scientific technological park (70 enterprises and the office of Envipark for a total of 45.000 squared meters); during the night, on the contrary, when the demand of energy is limited, serve a plant of hydrogen production.

Results

The general reduction of energetically consumptions and those of the environmental impact, the use of sustainable resources, the adoption of natural techniques of administration of the buildings, the choose of no polluting or recyclable materials are some principles of green architecture pursuing with coherence by the project.  The wide use of technological and plant engineering innovations, supported by the constructive production and verified by applied research, conduce the building system towards those results.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

The ecological architecture of Environment Park express a environmental sentiment expressed by:

• The green roof: the wide use of ecological covering enable to reduce the cost of realisation of buildings and that of administration of the complex – because of the good winter and summer isolation – and overall the total consumption of energy. However also other environmental advantages are evident: the improvement of microclimate, the filtration of polluting dusts of the air and of the rain waters, the reduction of urban acoustic pollution (the lawn is a no reflecting surface).
• The Blue Building system: the southner fronts of office, turn on the street and therefore representative of the technological and environmental vocation of the Environment Park, are realised with the Blue Building system: the system based on the interactive front and on the ceiling of panels heating, produce two results apparently opposing: a wide improvement of internal comfort and a wide control of the energetic consumptions.  The interactive front uses the glasses completely transparent ( an external double glass and a internal window) which allow to have the maxim natural illumination in the internal rooms. When it is necessary screen the direct solar rays, a tend follows down automatically in the cavity between the two windows.  The empty space is constantly aired by the air extracted from the rooms which absorbs the solar heat accumulated by the fins of the tend.  The mechanism offers on that way notable environmental increments: a improved acoustic isolation from the outside; a energy saving both for the air-conditioning (the solar heat doesn’t come in) and for the artificial illumination (thank the augmentation of the diffusion of the natural light); a better internal comfort: the glass and the walls remain near to the room temperature.  The ceiling of panels water heating operated in the same direction, assuring an high environmental comfort and an high energetic saving of functioning.
• The wood chips: about the 85% of the heating power of the Environment Park is produced by wood chips boiler (wastes product of the pruning the tree-lined roads), energetic sustainable resource for excellence and moreover wide disposable in Turin.  The adoption of an absorbing machine allows to use the energy of the wood chip boiler to refresh the Environment Park consuming almost only the vegetal waste of the gardens and of the tree-lined roads in Turin.  The saving is evident: both economic (for the cost of the fuel) and ecological ( for the consistent reduction of the waste mass that have to be disposed in the tips.
• The building material: in the choose of the building material the productions and manufactures that don’t imply polluting activities and procedures in the production, in the placing, in the disposal, or that could be recyclable and reusable at the end of the life cycle of the buildings had the priority.
• The basin of phytodepuration: in the system of water games of the green valley two basins of still waters are installed for the purification by solar raids of the rain waters and of the grey waters with a low content of B.O.D.

The small rural village of Varese Ligure with its 2400 inhabitants was the first local authority in Liguria to install two 0.75 MW wind power generators. Varese is a small rural local authority in the region of Liguria, in Italy. 95% of the land of the rural local authority has not been built on and is covered by forests.

Objectives and target audience

The local authority of Varese Ligure is close to its target which is to become 100% renewable and 100% organic. A comprehensive programme of sustainable development was put in place to achieve self-sufficiency through the promotion of renewable energy sources and through energy efficiency.
Within the energy framework, the objectives are the following:

• Promotion of renewable energy sources: the focus is on wind (two windpower generators with a capacity of 2 millions kWh/year will soon be installed), solar (a third solar photovoltaic installation on the public wastewater treatment station is scheduled) and biomass technologies.
• Promotion of energy efficiency: focus on biomass: the authorities are promoting the use of pellet boilers by encouraging local production of pellets as a means of generating income and contributing to forestry maintenance.
• Awareness-raising: One of the main actions is the participation in the EU project for schools called FEE (Force Energetique par les Enfantes), to raise the awareness of pupils, families and local stakeholders on energy issues (energy saving and renewable sources) and to the environment in general.
• The wind farm was financed by EU and regional funds (30%) as well as by private

Financial Resources and Partners involved

investments (60%) for a total of €1,800,00. The PV installation was funded by regional and
local funds (€155,000).
The strategy is managed by the City Council under the direct supervision of its mayor, who is supported, as far as the environmental certification aspects are concerned (periodical audits), by an ad hoc committee.

Process

The local authority is now completely self-sustainable as far as electricity is concerned thanks to two wind power generators able to produce 4 million kWh/year and two photovoltaic plants with a capacity of 23.000 kWh/year and meets 98% of the municipal building needs. In addition, 39 PV panels have been installed on a school that produces 4600 kWh. Other two wind power generators with a capacity of 2 millions kWh/year will soon be installed. The establishment of these plants brings also about a considerable CO2 reduction (approximately 9600 kg/year).

Results

The strategy will result in an improvement of the environment and health protection, more
security, comfortable lives and higher standards of living.
The ISO 14001 and EMAS certifications have been key to raise the village’s environmental
awareness and to promoting it outside its boundaries.
In January 2004, at the European conference on renewable energy in Berlin, the local authority received the award of “Best rural EU-local authority for the promotion of renewable energy”.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges