“Designed by” The Archimedes “, a Dutch company for research and development, ‘LIAM F1 UWT’ is a new generation of wind turbines for domestic use to produce much more energy than the current and generate no noise. A new trend in the world renewable energy.

Created to be installed on the roofs of buildings, with a diameter of 1.5 meters and a weight that is less than 100 kilos. It generates an average of 1,500 kilowatt-hours of energy per year with a wind speed of 5 m/s. “

“The design is based on a rotor captures the kinetic energy of wind to convert it into mechanical energy. Due to its form of screw, Liam automatically point to the optimum position of the wind, like a pennant and therefore have a peak performance.”

There are thousands of developments in energy-generating models. An interesting line in the extent to which they integrate and focus the energy independence in urban environments, where high rates of consumption per unit area are remarkable.

via ecoinventos.com

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La entrada LIAM F1 | Small wind turbine for urban environments se publicó primero en More Than Green.

The European Commission has launched a programme that promotes the Circular Economy.

As it is stated at their website: “What is a circular economy? Since the industrial revolution, waste has constantly grown. This is because our economies have used a “take-make-consume and dispose” pattern of growth – a linear model which assumes that resources are abundant, available and cheap to dispose of. What we need is a more circular economy. This means re-using, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products. What used to be regarded as ‘waste’ can be turned into a resource. The aim is to look beyond waste and to close the loop of the circular economy. All resources need to be managed more efficiently throughout their life cycle. ”

European institutions have become aware of the importance of making our patterns of consumtion more efficient. For this reason, the European Commision has presented a programme that explain the strategy of the Circular Economy and how Europe will implement it.

At their website, they also remark the economic benefits of this large-scale programme and how it can boost employment opportunities in Europe: “Using resources more efficiently will also bring new growth and job opportunities. Better eco-design, waste prevention and reuse can bring net savings for EU businesses of up to EUR 600 billion, while also reducing total annual greenhouse gas emissions. Additional measures to increase resource productivity by 30% by 2030 could boost GDP by nearly 1%, while creating 2 million additional jobs.”

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(via http://ec.europa.eu)

La entrada In late 2015, European Commission will present a circular economy strategy se publicó primero en More Than Green.

In the department of intelligent constructions of the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) is coming for years developing a very remarkable work, about the application of the technology to construction. These include Hydrocerámic, an experimentation about a new material that improves regarding thermal perception of space and energy consumption.

“The buildings begin to work as based on biological systems and interact with the environment and users agencies,” explains Areti Markopoulou, academic director of the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia and head of a project carried out with three of his students, Akanksha Rathee, Elena Mitrofanova and Pong Santayanon. Between them, they have developed a system that cools the walls alone, helping to reduce the heat on days of high temperatures and thus helping to reduce air conditioning costs. What they have done is basically make them sweat.

They called hydroceramic, and is a combination of a hydrogel with support materials such as ceramic material, which responds to moisture and heat. “It works as an evaporative cooling device that reduces the temperature 5 or 6 degrees and increases the humidity Passive intelligence makes its performance is proportional to the heat in the outside environment. Colder when it’s hot outside,” says Markopoulou to Teknautas.”

“The structure of the final prototype is like a sandwich. Begins an outer layer of clay, the surface is filled with cone-shaped holes that allow access of water and air into the hydrogel. Follow with another layer of cloth, absrobe water that works as a transmitter and liquid, to be elastic and allows volume changes in the hydrogel while holding it in position. The final layer is also made of clay, but is thinner and is perforated, increases so that the cooling.”

“The final prototype is similar to a brick or tile, which could be used to create walls or facades of passive cooling. The use of clay has been key to optimize the evaporation process;. Certainly everyone knows the passive mechanism of earthenware pitcher” Areti points. Would only have to provide water in the interlayer of that brick, which in its proposal could be done with a tank that collects the rainwater, for example, so savings is greater. The hydrogel absorbs water and holds it until hot. When the temperature rises, the water evaporates, reducing temperature and increasing humidity. Naturally, the effect is greater with higher heat.”

(via elconfidencial.com)

(via materiability.com)

La entrada Hydroceramic: Intelligent walls | IAAC Research about thermosensitivity and autonomous thermal conditioning of surfaces se publicó primero en More Than Green.

“Humanity’s greatest social innovation remains the city, says an article in the October 2011 issue of The Atlantic mentioning SFI research that finds surprising statistical regularities among cities, patterns the researchers relate to an underlying ‘urban metabolism’.
As our cities grow larger, the article says, the synapses that connect them (people with exceptional social skills) are becoming ever more essential to economic growth.”

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(Via Youtube)

La entrada Urban metabolism | Cities, scaling and sustainability se publicó primero en More Than Green.

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Title: Navitas Biotopo

Name: Antonio Campos Villanueva

School: Universidad Europea de Madrid

Tutor: Acebo X Alonso

Year: 2013

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Energy

Navitas Biotopo is a power plant which produces electricity through solar energy, and it is, in addition, a treatment facility and improvement of the quality of the water in whichit is located; a reservoir.

The project proposes to establish a territorial energy strategy, common to the Mediterranean European arch locating a number of energy points along the network of already existing reservoirs. So that is an ecological opportunity constituting a system of improvement of the biotope of superficial water bodies.

The present project raises two main issues. The first one is political-economic and the second one is social-ecologic. Both of them are related to climatic change and human and environmental health.

This is necessary because Europe is undergoing a serious dependence of third countries as far as the energy supplying is concerned. We import 54.1% ofthe energy that we consume, to a great extent derived from fossil fuels, which produces an absence of economic control and an important risk of shortage of supplies if diplomatic conflicts would take place. It is worth recalling the incident occured last 2006, in which Russia ended gas provision to Ukraine in the middle of the winter as a mean of political pressure.

Furthermore this is an environmental emergency, CO2 emissions continue increasing and affecting human health and climatic change. Thus, the European comission developed a guideline a few years ago in which the European Union cities are forced to reduce their emissions to an 80% until the year 2050. which can lead to a change of the energy production pattern, the transport plan, etc. of the model of transports etc. Ultimately the transition to the third industrial revolution.

Europe must develop its own technology in order to get its own clean and renewable energy supplies, and independent of other countries and foreign agents. Within the framework of the aforementioned European guideline, the Commission ordered certain strategic studies to OMA/AMO, which came across certain conclusions. There is a possibility of obtaining a closed circle of european power supplying.. According to their studies the North of Europe could supply itself, the South could do it in winter time with clean energies; and also it would be able to do the same in the summer time thanks to the solar energy.

This project takes up the challenge of researching on establishment of solar energy models of production in the South of Europe. Solar energy has got however, a main disadvantage which is that it raises certain problems associated to it. It needs enormous amounts of surface in order to collect the energy.

This is a key issue, considering that in the old continent we do not count on great extensions of land to explode, as for instance, deserts could be. In addition, Europe on an very consolidated historical and cultural landscape. consolidated. If it keeps on being poorly managed, continuing with the present strategic deregulation may lead to a waste of territory and a threat to our landscape.

It is through this problem that we can reach a great ecological opportunity. The use of reservoirs, great amounts of surface of calmed water bodies is proposed here as a holder

to operate solar potential, and to take part on the biotope of the superficial water bodies and to stop its impoverishment in biodiversity and quality, an emergency situation that goes almost unnoticed.

Ecosystem

In Spain there are more than 1,200 great reservoirs, bigger than 80 hm3. Their full capacity excels 50,000 hm3 and the length of their shore adds up to five times longer than the Spanish coast line. We are the country with the highest number of reservoirs in the world in proportion. This water is addressed for different uses: urban supplies, irrigation, industries, energy production, etc.

The intervention in these places entails a very interesting opportunity for improving thebiotopes and the superficial waters since, according to data compiled by Cedex, 50% of the water dammed in Spain is degraded due to eutrophication processes that cause proliferation of seaweed and other organisms and a reduction of the oxygen content. Additionally, more than the 60% of Spanish water is in poor state; to an extent in which purification of residual waters, around the 85%, fails to fulfil the guidelines of the UE; due to the detriment of ecological status or chemical pollution.

This is a question of a pathology owned by the condition of stagnant waters. In Europe the data increases to 61%, and similar percentages are documented within the 5 continents.

Therefore we coud say that all the fresh superficial waters from the continent suffer from diffuse pollution caused by spills from cities and industries, and the use of pesticides and herbicides in agriculture.

Both diseases are closely related and they favor one another, causing ecosystems to be poor and sick in biodiversity which in the end have an impact on people’s health and environment.

The underlying problem is very related to pollution and the model of production and the energy intake that we have used.

Eutrophication is a process of impoverishment of water, likely to occur on stagnant water reservoirs. Poorly oxigenated and renewed waters. This process consist on the increase of nutrient concentration in lacustrine or fluvial ecosystems. This leads to an excessive growth of organisms, mainly seaweed, which drains the oxygen from the water (anoxia). In normal conditions, when this occurs it is easy to spot it in many of ours river basins, streams or rafts. During the summer, the lack of rainfalls decreases and it stagnates the water bodies, leaving them exposed, in addition, to a strong solar radiation.

The diffuse contamination refers to air and water pollution from a non- specific source.

A nonprecise source of hydrologic contamination affects the water bodies from runoffs in agricultural areas that drain towards the rivers, or waste washed by the wind towards the sea. Non-precise sources of air pollution affect the quality of the air from contamination sources such as chimneys or smoke pipes from vehicles. Another significant source of draining includes river engineering and reservoirs; modification of the habitat and forestry. The urban and industrial spills to the rivers are likely to be considered a diffuse system of pollution.

Thermoelectrics

There are two types of operation technologies of solar energy. The photovoltaic systems and thermal concentration systems.

Electrical power production through solar thermal production, implies the cleanest and the best performance option. This technology mainly uses water and solar energy.

The photovoltaic systems require silicon, a limited resource and one we did not count on in Europe. Furthermore, the Ecological Track from photovoltaic is much bigger, and the cost of production is higher. The present project aims to develop the thermoelectrical system, which is based on concentrating several rays of light in a point or a line, by which a fluid (that may be water) goes pass, in order to to heat it up until it reaches high pressures that are used to move the turbine that generates electric power.

Nowadays there are two main types of power plants. On the one hand, the plants in the central tower, in which mirrors, named heliostatos, are redirected through the solar movement aiming at a single point, located in a high tower. On the other hand the linear power stations, which can be cylinder-parabolic shaped or from plain Fresnel lenses.

A hybrid type which takes advantage of the best options of each plant has also been developed. A new typology of precise concentration of flat lenses, but established in units of independent production technically named, These “Lazos” are able to perform the complete power process in an independent manner, and the “Lazos” of support would be encharged of the recovering processes.

In order to obtain an acceptable performance the storage of the already produced energy is required. Nevertheless it is not possible to store electrical energy the energy is accumulated in its thermal state. A private solution is chosen, given that it has got the most reduced impact and risk on the habitat, the solution is the storage in masses of concrete. Substantial tanks will guarantee the supplies overnight, and at times of little solar uptake also.

Water treatment strategies 

The mechanical oxygenation of the waters in the reservoir is an effective treatment against eutrophication since the stabilization of water levels facilitates the digestion and decomposition of stored organic matter; including dead particles of heterotrophic seaweed.

This is a regular practice in ponds or fish farms, and it has several scales of application; with several bubble sizes in order to reach all the chemical levels of the water.

The reduction of oxygen levels is very related to the condition of stagnant waters, it is also the beginning of the problem, and the starting point to the solution.

The filtrating process provides a dual action, since it acts directly on the elimination of polluting agents, one of the main objectives of the treatment and it also helps eliminating the deposits of organic matter produced by the eutrophication. The most cutting edge systems are the carbon and the activated carbon nanofilters. Both of them obtain a number of filtrates which may reach the levels of microscopic particles and bacteria. The controlled introduction of certain species is used to balance the ecosystem. Many other organisms are included, species that feed on heterotrophic seaweed for instance, the originators of the eutrophication, and thus reducing the effects in a natural way.

Construction

The magnitude of the devices and the plant setting imposes certain constructive decissions.

The design is thought for manufacturing on a number of industrial shaped elements which will need to be tools for mounting afterwords. in situ. It is necessary to establish a construction dock equipped with shipyard cranes and the proper machinery.

The dock is projected according to responsive criteria to the location and human dynamics, and taking advantage of the peculiarities of the reservoir. This means that the dock will keep its life utility throughout the construction of the power plant, but its track must be recycled into a pseudo-natural space for using and enjoying.

The synchronization has been considered with rain gauge times. According to the gathered data there are three times of the year which show peaks on the level of the reservoir. Due to the own features of the reservoir of “La Pedrera” the hight of the water level differs in 20 meters. This allows design to lay on that diffuse place between the aquatic environment and the Earth, taking advantage of the times when the level is low in order to build the ships, and taking the high level peaks with the aim of hurling them.

This is translated into 3 small conventional docks in which the “beds” are maximised, and the construction process is subject to periods of 4 months for the simultaneous construction within the three platforms.

In a total of 15 years the power plant would be completed, but it would begin to work from the boat of the three first devices, since they are able to produce energy on an independent manner.

Human sensitivity

From the very beginning the present project seeks for the sensible implantation with the landscape and the human dynamics. Treating the project from its playful and didactic potential as well as its potential for reactivating locations. There will be new dynamics of phenomenological character, since the improvement of the location’s biodiversity will allow human activities that could not take place until now, i.e: diving, swimming, etc. and the already existing activities will be empowered, as fishing for example. The present project will mean a landmark for didactic-tourism and will be also an economic activator for the region.

The reservoirs are sites that are already used for sport actvidades and they are in contact with the environment. For that reason it is necessary that within the virtual negotiation of the power station with the environment and with the human beings, a magical place is given back to joy. A pier and platforms for the bath appear to be colonizing the track of the dock of construction of the power plant by means of simple hanging bridges and a floating wharf, a temporary place, subject to the climate, which will be immersed in the filling peaks and will emerge in the average conditions. A place for observing a future of ecological integration.

La entrada FDP| Navitas Biotopo | Antonio Campos se publicó primero en More Than Green.

“Around the world, 768 million people don’t have access to safe water, and every day 1,400 childrenunder the age of five die from water-based diseases. Designer Arturo Vittori believes the solution to this catastrophe lies not in high technology, but in sculptures that look like giant-sized objects from the pages of a Pier 1 catalog.

His stunning water towers stand nearly 30 feet tall and can collect over 25 gallons of potable water per day by harvesting atmospheric water vapor. Called Warka Water towers, each pillar is comprised of two sections: a semi-rigid exoskeleton built by tying stalks of juncus or bamboo together and an internal plastic mesh, reminiscent of the bags oranges come in. The nylon and polypropylene fibers act as a scaffold for condensation, and as the droplets of dew form, they follow the mesh into a basin at the base of the structure.

“Warka Water is designed to provide clean water as well as ensure long-term environmental, financial and social sustainability” Arturo Vittori says. “Once locals have the necessary know how, they will be able to teach others villages and communities to build the WarkaWater towers.”

Vittori and his team have tested the design in multiple locations and worked in improvements that increase the frame’s stability while simultaneously making it easy for villagers to clean the internal mesh. They hopes to have two Warka Towers erected in Ethiopia by 2015 and is looking for financial rainmakers who’d like to seed these tree-inspired structures across the country”

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 (via WIRED)

Valuable sustainable environmental project run by Architecture and Vision that, in the awareness of the problems caused by lack of water in Ethiopia, is undertaken with creativity this innovative project aiming to fill this lack. The lack of rainfall is supplied by these structures that collect water generated by the moisture in drastic temperature changes.

Lightweight structures and self-constructable, due to scale, allow more water gathering ability and also become a landscape landmark, that multiplicands in the territory generate an infrastructure needed in many places.

La entrada Warka Water | Drinking of the air | Architecture and Vision se publicó primero en More Than Green.