Promoting renewable energies - RETS Project

A low impact nursery building in
Cuveglio, Italy
Background:
The nursery in Mountain Community Valleys Verbano
boasts a roof with 200 square meters of photovoltaic
panels to produce electricity, which will operate the heat
pumps.
The facility can accommodate up to 60 children, from
new born to three years of age, this project aimed to
triple the capacity of the Community nursery Cuveglio
and then being able to offer the service to all those
municipalities of the territory that will sign the Agreement
with the Agency Montano.
Energy analysis:
The plants described were made on the principle of
maximum efficiency in terms of heat production using
geothermal power plants with vertical impact of trying to
limit the use of fossil fuels, in practice the building in
question is locally zero-impact.
Significant heating and domestic hot water savings were
made, in terms of emissions: 8,934 kg CO2/year. Whilst,
the estimated annual energy produced by the PV panels
came to 35,580.90 kWh. Along with emissions savings
of: 19,570 Kg CO2.
The cost of this was around €150,000 and the funding
came from the “Regione Lombardia”. The money was
available due to a scheme aiming to help populations in
mountainous areas, with the view of completing the
geothermal system for heating/cooling of the nursery
there. Hence, the nursery is equipped with central
heating in winter and summer air conditioning with
temperature control and humidity.
In particular, the chosen design was adopted in order to
ensure a comfortable environment and exploit the highenergy
yield of such renewable systems (solar and
geothermal), along with inherent high energy efficiency.
In this way it integrates and completes the design of the
nursery with a very small carbon footprint.
Description of Systems:
The air conditioning is made synthetically via the heat
pumps, and radiant heating system for winter heating and
summer cooling combined with dehumidification system.
In order to produce heat two ground source heat pumps
sensors connected to seven vertical depth of
approximately 90 m each, one with reversible operation
of thermal power of 20.8 kW for heating, cooling
environments and for the production of sanitary hot
water, the second version only hot heating capacity equal
to 15.2 Kw. The choice of using two PdC is born from the
need to have both hot and cold fluids during the summer
and is to optimise the yield of the heat pump with radiant
panels plant in service during the winter.
Cuveglio Community Nursery, Italy
Closing Note:
We believe that the building-plant system designed to be
a good example of the application of criteria for
sustainable development in construction in particular for
the aspects of energy optimisation and integration of
renewable energy in buildings.
RETS Compendium – © 2012 RETS Consortium
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