In the heart of Tuscany the city of Grosseto has recently presented an important eco-building project, the first in Italy that will allow residents to forget completely house bills.
When we talk about renewable energy we usually think about the sun or wind. Not many people know that the temperature of the earth increases by 3 degrees for every hundred meters of depth into the Earth. In fact, the subsoil is a source of heat and therefore energy.
In Italy we have an area of 1200 km2 in the provinces of Siena, Pisa and Grosseto (all in Tuscany) where, thanks to the favourable conditions of the soil, we use the steam emitted from the earth to drive turbines, heat houses and produce electricity. ENEL, Italy’s largest electric power utility, obtains 28% of all the electricity consumed in Tuscany from this area. In 1988, with financial support from Tuscan institutions, particularly the Tuscany Regional Authority, COSVIG (Consortium for the Development of Geothermal Areas) was set up to coordinate efforts and promote a wider focus on geothermal energy. The first District of Renewable Energy was formed as a result of COSVIG’s work.
Ten days ago, the city of Grosseto (about 200,000 inhabitants) presented the first example in Italy of self sufficient buildings, using energy from the earth and the sun, on the model of passive houses. Twenty apartments of 85 square meters with gardens and garages where residents will not have to pay bills thanks to free heating during winter time and free air conditioning in the summer.
The apartments use geothermal heat pumps that exchange heat with the temperature of the earth to provide heating, air conditioning and hot water. In the winter, they collect the earth’s natural heat through a series of pipes, called a loop, installed below the surface of the ground. Fluid circulates through the loop and carries the heat to the house. There, an electrically driven compressor and a heat exchanger concentrate the earth’s energy and release it inside the home at a higher temperature. In summer, the process is reversed. The underground loop draws excess heat from the house and allows it to be absorbed by the earth. The system cools the home in the same way that a refrigerator keeps the food cool – by drawing heat from the interior, not by blowing in cold air.
In addition, these “zero cost” houses are provided with photovoltaic systems for the supply of further energy. High cost? Not at all, houses have been sold according to the market price. A project like this, to be applied wherever possible, is not only an ecological dare but also a way to face the global crisis in building trade.
Image Credit: Manky Maxblack via Flickr, under a Creative Commons license; sketch public domain
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Cara Eva,
Ho letto con interesse il tuo articolo.
Sono un italiano che vive in California (Silicon Valley)da molti anni e sono il leader di un gruppo che si interessa di Clean/Green technology.
Sto espandendo le conoscenze del gruppo sulle tecnologie vicenti che esistono in Europa e chiaramente in Italia. Credo in un eco-system che e’ globale e conseguentemente ritengo imperativo di fare leva su conoscenze gia’ esistenti indipendentemente dlla locazione in cui si trovano.
Se hai dei riferimenti di idee innovative, provate sul campo, ti prego di indirizzarmele.
Ringraziandoti anticipatmente ed ancora congratulazioni per l’articolo.
Cordiali saluti
Roberto Valotta
So I loved this article – but there was NO DATE in there to tell us journalists WHEN this will take place. If there was I could perhaps schedule a story to be done around this very interesting sounding project.
Could you please post one?
Thanks!