Spain’s First Certified Passive House Cuts Energy Use by 90%

Josep Bunyesc’s home consists of a ground floor, first floor and a basement, where the architect has his office. The wooden shelter with solar panels on its facade is orientated to the south to capture free passive solar energy while protecting itself from hot Spanish summers.

The central patio creates a new internal southern facade, providing plenty of natural light, cross ventilation and views throughout the building interiors.

The construction was quick and utilized prefab OSB boards with 7.8 inch sheep’s wool insulation, and an external breathable surface to prevent condensation.

During the summer there is no need to open the double-glazed windows as a free cooling system with ducts and airshafts lowers the temps and provides enough breeze. Efficiently-built, low-energy, modern and very affordable, Josep Bunyesc’s passive shelter in Spain is a family home for life.

El Hierro: The World’s First Renewable Energy Island… or is It?

El Hierro, the smallest and southern-most island of the Canaries, made headlines recently after it announced plans to become the world’s first island to eradicate its carbon footprint and run completely off 100% renewable energy sources. The Huffington Post reported how El Hierro will be powered by an 11.5 MW wind farm, 11.3 MW of hydroelectric power and a whole bunch of solar thermal collectors and grid-connected photovoltaics. The fact that oil will no longer be transported to this remote location alone will offset 18,200 tons of carbon dioxide. These are undeniably impressive statistics and the project represents a wonderful opportunity for Swiss-Swedish power giant, ABB. Plans call for this ambitious project to be completed by the end of 2011 and will cost $87 million. However there is one problem with the claim that El Hierro is “the world’s first renewable energy island” – it isn’t.

Back in November 2009 I wrote about the small Danish island of Samsø, 15km off the Jutland Peninsula. In 1997, Samsø won a government competition to become a model renewable energy community. Since then, 21 wind turbines have been built on Samsø – an island 48 km long and 24 km wide with a population of approximately 4000. Ten were built on a sandbank off the island’s south coast and another 11 dotted all over the island, and the island has long been considered one of the most successful green energy projects to have launched since environmentalists started raising the alarm about climate change around thirty years ago. Alongside the turbines, the houses in Samsø’s 22 villages are heated by power plants powered by furnaces fired by wood chips and straw and farms of man-sized solar panels in fields kept trim by herds of sheep.

But this takes nothing away from what the people of El Hierro, with a population of more than double that of Samsø’s, are set to achieve. Projects like these must be celebrated. El Hierro and Samsø are the places where the seeds of our energy future are being sewn. Although it is the financial backing and expertise of private companies like ABB that make these projects a practical reality, it is the foresight and ambition of environmentalist and the will of the people of places such as El Hierro and Samsø that make them possible in the first instance.

Via Huffington Post

Photos by Jose Mesa

View the original article here

Elcogas launches the first CO2 capture plant in Spain

Elcogas, operates since 1998 the plant integrated gasification combined cycle (GICC) of Puertollano (Ciudad Real), has completed the implementation of its pilot CO2 capture unit.

Starting this week the plant will begin producing ready to store CO2 or Santiago, becoming, once optimized processes, to produce up to 100 t/day of CO2, which is enough to continue with research for recycling or Santiago an industrial scale, or to transfer it for tests to be performed previously to the establishment of geological storage of CO2.

This technology is one of the three pillars, along with improving efficiency and the use of renewable energy, referred to by the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change, United Nations, the International Energy Agency, and by the European Commission, para mitigation of climate change in the short and medium term.

The implementation of the capture of CO2 in central GICC is associated H2 obtaining opens it a way to efficiently co-production, economic and environmentally, H2 and electricity with indigenous fuels.

The pilot plant has been built within the singular and strategic project "CO2 technology" with the support of the Ministry of science and innovation, and the key and resolute support of the governing body of communities of Castilla - La Mancha.

In this environment begins a period of testing for characterization and data extraction to determine their application a mayor of scale. Posteriormente unit will be offered as research platform for development and demonstration of CO2, producing clean H2 and Santiago or storing CO2 capture processes scientific and industrial community.

Sources-fundacionentorno.org, ecoticias.com

· OF CO2 · Integrated in combined cycle gasification Elcogas · GICC

Hyundai presents the first Korean electric car

Hyundai has just introduced its first electric vehicle. Series BlueOn, this is the first car such develops in Korea and promises a fairly good performance: maximum speed of 130 km/h and autonomy of 140 km.

A total of 27 million euros is what has invested Hyundai in the creation of this electric car is based on the actual Hyundai i10. At first, 30 the BlueOn drives will be proof 'serving' a number of organizations translate into Korea until 2012. On that date will begin production of the model, which is intended to produce 2,500 units.

BlueOn, whose name derives from the Blue Drive of Hyundai and the word 'On' strategy - turn on - measured 3.58 m long, 1.59 m width and height is 1.54 meters. Its electric motor is powered by a 16.4 kWh lítio ion polymer battery and delivers a maximum power of 81 HP and a maximum torque of 21.4 mkg. The choice of this type of battery is due to the decline of weight and volume - a 30 to 40 per cent, reverts it respectively - in more space for passengers.

Its quite good child benefits with an addition of 0 100 km/h in 13.1 seconds, a top speed of 130 km/h and a range of 140 km on a single charge. Respect a this the BlueOn has two methods for recharging: a current domestic 220V, it takes 6 hours to process, and an industrial power of 380 V allows a recharge of 80 percent in 25 minutes.

Sources-motor.terra.es

· BlueOn · electric car Hyundai