ITER develops 25 bioclimatic homes in Tenerife

(25/03/2010)

ITER, the Institute of Technology and Renewable Energies, founded by the Tenerife Island Government, has launched 25 bioclimatic homes. The innovative houses, heralded as the “green architecture of the future” generate zero carbon emissions and are due to open to the public in September 2010.

Developed by ITER and located in the southern district of Granadilla, the village consists of 25 bioclimatic houses made of ecologic resources and a visitor centre. The houses are autarkic, which means they are self-sufficient and do not depend on external energy sources. Testament to Tenerife’s commitment to responsible tourism, the project aims to encourage sustainable practices throughout the tourism industry and interaction with the local culture via the rental of the houses and visitors centre, which has a selection of rooms and a spacious auditorium for training, talks and conferences.

The official opening of the village was attended by ITER’s Scientific Committee including Dr Wolfgang Palz, who heads up investigation and development projects on renewable energies at the European Union, as well as other leading experts, the village designers and architects from around the world.

Since its opening in 1990, the Institute has focused its efforts and investment on conservation and the development of natural energy sources – primarily solar and wind power. Constant winds on Tenerife’s southeast coast provide excellent conditions for wind farms and combined with more than 3,200 hours of annual sunshine, the island is an ideal location for the installation of renewable energy plants. Tenerife aims to generate more than half of the island’s energy through these sources in the future and bearing in mind the island is home to one of the three biggest Solar Photovoltaic Plants (PVs) in the world, the Tenerife Government is confident of achieving its goal.

In addition to the above, the Tenerife Island Government has signed up to an Institutional Agreement with the Spanish Government to develop sustainable public transport by introducing an additional tram service between La Laguna and the island’s capital, Santa Cruz. Each tram carries the same amount of passengers as three buses or 150 cars. Further initiatives include the use of natural gas to produce biodiesel to run cars and power stations; the use of wind power to generate hydrogen for the use of buses in towns and holiday resorts across the island; desalination plants and a network of bicycle lanes and bike rental schemes. The use of wave power has also been studied by the Institute.

Related categories:  Biofuels and biomass   Environmental technologies for Residential and Green homes   Solar power and photovoltaics   Wave and tidal power   Wind power