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News
Hydrogen, Energy and Sustainability,
3d International Seminar of Torres Vedras
April, 2010
Hydrogen,
Energy and Sustainability,
3d International Seminar of Torres Vedras - 29, 30 April 2010
For
details visit:
http://www.h2ecocommunity.com/Default_en.aspx
“ASSECOS –
Associação para a Competitividade e Inovação da Energia e Construção
Sustentáveis”, is a non-profit association recently created to
support the promotion and development of activities in the area of
energy and sustainable construction in the Alentejo, Central,
and Algarve Regions of Portugal.
ASSECOS aims to
build a community focused on energy and sustainable construction,
which maximizes the combination of knowledge and the development of
products and services with
innovative, mutual, complementary,
and replicable solutions in different locations. This will
ultimately lead to sustainable urban development, the emergence of
new economic functions, and
international solutions of municipal networking territories.
C3P has been invited to be a Member of the
Executive Board of ASSECOS.
Videoconference
about Encroachment at the U.S.
Embassy in Lisbon,
on 11 March 2010
On 11 March 2010,
the Center for Pollution Prevention (C3P) and National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) hosted a videoconference about
Encroachment at the U.S.
Embassy in Lisbon with the main aim of clarifying the subject
concept through practical exercises and answering doubts raised by
the participants.
The
videoconference was chaired by NASA Assistant Administrator
for Infrastructure, Olga
Dominguez. NASA HQs presentations about Encroachment Activities,
Climate Change Impacts, and
Adaptation were made. At this time, Encroachment from the U.S. Navy
and Military perspective was introduced by TEC, Inc.. The Ministry
of the Environment of Portugal
addressed
the topic of Strategy and Measures for Adaptation to Climate Change.
The conference was attended by representatives
from the Portuguese Army, Navy, and Air Force Staffs,
the National Commission for Climate Change,
and various private entities, namely ISQ - Instituto de Soldadura e
Qualidade, NAER - New Lisbon Airport, Association of Insurance
Companies, Trivalor Group, ETE Group, and ITB, Inc.
Launch of the Electrovalue Project website
July, 2009
Was launched by our partner
Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade, ISQ, the Electrovalue Project
website,
The project will develop and improve the recycling market for the
electrical and electronic (EE) products through the reuse and
recovery of EE components, providing support to the electrical and
electronic SMEs, in order to improve their competitiveness by
adopting sustainable waste management, materials and process
technologies by integrating Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and “valorisation”
of end-of-life in electric and electronic products.
Project funded by the European Commission as a part of the LIFE
Environment Programme.
Berlengas – Vote for the “New 7 Wonders of Nature”
August 01, 2008
Berlenga
Island is one of the world level sites candidates to the “New 7 Wonders of
Nature”.
For
Berlengas election as one of the “New 7 Wonders of Nature” please leave your
vote on the following address:
www.new7wonders.com/nature
Help us to preserve this natural heritage.
Berlenga Application to UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Award
July, 2008
In the
beginning of 2009, the Municipality of Peniche will submit the application
of Berlenga Islands to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Award.
The
expected recognition will confirm to the International Community why
Berlengas is considered one of the Nature Wonders.
The
Municipality invited a group of entities to help with the elaboration of the
application, namely the
Institute
for Nature Conservation and Biodiversity (ICNB), School of Marine Technology
(IPL – ESTM), Department of Biology of the University of Aveiro and the
institute of Environment and Development (IDAD).
Constitution
of the Association
Berlenga
–
Laboratório de
Sustentabilidade
April 21, 2008
On April
21, 2008 the non profit Association “Berlenga – Laboratório de
Sustentabilidade” was officially constituted.
The
ASSOCIATION objective is to implement the Project “Berlenga
– Laboratório de Sustentabilidade”, which aims to provide the
Berlenga island with energy generation and storage capacities using
renewable sources, as well as production of potable water and wastewater and
solid waste treatment, in order to promote sustainability and biodiversity
on a long term.
The
Association Partners are: Municipality of Peniche, C3P-Center For Pollution
Prevention (representing NASA and ITB),
Institute
for Nature Conservation and Biodiversity (ICNB), EDP – Energies of Portugal,
ISQ – Welding and Quality Institute, AdP – Waters of Portugal, EFACEC
Engineering, INETI, INESC Porto, GALP Energy, Portuguese Navy and
Sociedade
de Advogados Rui Pena, Arnaut & Associados (Lawyer Firm).
Installation of
photovoltaic panels at Berlenga Island
December, 2007
Nature Wonder towards Sustainability
December
7, 2007,
was a historical day for the Berlenga Island. This fact was due to
the beginning of the installation of the first solar photovoltaic panels
to produce electrical energy at the island, in the scope of the Project “Berlenga
– Laboratório de Sustentabililade”.
This process was a contribute of several project Partners, namely EDP –
Energias de Portugal, Portuguese Navy – Lighthouse Authority, EFACEC and
Municipality of Peniche, and integrated the installation of electric
energy production equipments, as well as energy storage technologies. The
energy shall be supplied to some houses of the Fisherman Neighbourhood.
Except
for the Lighthouse and adjacent houses, all the existing electric energy at
Berlenga is currently produced by diesel generators, which have negative
environmental impacts
at a
greenhouse gas emissions level (40 ton of CO2 per year). This situation
also
causes
some disturbance to the Berlenga users, because the electric energy is not
supplied 24 hours per day.
With the
installation of this pilot system, which is composed of 12 photovoltaic
panels with a total 1.84 kW installed power and by 24 batteries, which will
permit the storage of 14.6 kWh, the current energetic situation at Berlenga
Island will be inverted.
The
Berlenga Project is new and innovative on a National level, and intends to
implement, in near future, technological solutions for wastewater and solid
waste treatment, and water production, aiming the environmental
sustainability of the Island. The project involves several National and
International companies and institutions.
Video - Media Coverage of the field work -
RTP
C3P & NASA Technical Workshop 2007
November 7, 8 & 9,
2007
On 7, 8 & 9
November 2007, the Centro Para Prevenção da Poluição (C3P) and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) hosted a technical workshop at
the Escola Superior de
Turismo e
Tecnologia do Mar (School of Maritime
Tourism and Technology) in Peniche, Portugal. This event was supported by the Secretaria de Estado do
Ambiente, and under the High Patronage of His Excellency the President of
Portugal.
Mayor of Peniche, President
of ESTM, NASA Assistant Administrator, US Ambassador, C3P President
The
three-day workshop provided an excellent forum to receive up-to-date
information on environmental and energy concerns that are common to
Portuguese, European and U.S. industries, as well as information on ongoing
and future projects. Of particular emphasis, several technical sessions were
devoted to the environmental and energy improvements planned for the
Berlenga Island.
Welcome Remarks
NASA Assistant
Administrator, US Ambassador
Workshop Audience
C3P formally emerged from
the interaction between NASA and the Portuguese Ministry of the Environment
in 2002 that materialized with the Technology
Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center, TEERM and
Portuguese Ministerial departments. TEERM’s philosophy consists in the
identification and validation of sustainable pollution prevention
technologies through joint activities, reducing risks while minimizing
duplication and associated costs. This has become the philosophy of C3P.
Likewise, other international participants on pollution prevention matters
of common interest have also adopted these policies.
International Trade Bridge,
ITB, Inc, as a member
of C3P, has been an invaluable partner, providing both TEERM and C3P with
crucial technical and engineering support.
The path C3P has been
forging reflects a constant evolution, obviously filled with successes and
difficulties. As very positive results, we emphasize the partnerships that
C3P has been developing with manufacturers, industrial associations,
universities, engineering centres of excellence in both Portugal and the
European Union. As would be expected, attempts to provide innovative ideas
that are in agreement with sustainable development and Portugal’s
competitiveness, have been of the utmost priority.
A number of C3P’s
initiatives during its first 3 years of existence are still ongoing today.
Nevertheless, our work received a boost in 2006, prompted by the cooperation
that we are striving to achieve with the large NASA project for remediation
of groundwater at White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) in New Mexico. The
current treatment technology is power intensive with demands greater than 1
Megawatt (MW) of continuous duration, expected to exceed 60 years.
Therefore, as an alternative, NASA is designing a
renewable energy power system for remediation with consideration of hydrogen
fueled power generation.
The advances in renewable
energy - particularly energy from wind, water, solar power and biomass - is
a central aim of the European Commission's energy policy and, consequently,
of Portugal as well. There are several reasons for this, namely the urgent
need to reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions, to promote sustainability and
independence from the traditional energy sources, and the prediction and
expectation of medium- and long-term competitiveness of renewable energies.
I n truth, Europe has
entered a new energy era. The 1st Strategic Energy Technology
Plan (SET-Plan) to be implemented by the Commission still this year will
accelerate the market introduction and take up of low-carbon and efficient
energy technologies.
Currently, Portugal is in
an advanced position in this sector, justifying an increased responsibility
to cooperate with NASA in, for example, the White Sands Project. This could
lead to a simultaneous parallel project, developed by C3P in Europe. This
possibility would promote important exchanges of knowledge and experience,
augmenting the transatlantic relationship, which is the backbone of our
activities.
At any rate, this new
hypothesis for joint work, that we expect will become reality in a very
short time, is already being preceded by another, more significant
initiative that was launched at the beginning of this year: The
Berlenga
Island Project – a Laboratory of Sustainability. This project is being
carried out under the auspices of the Secretary of State for the
Environment, and its aim is to provide the Island with means and solutions
that would impede the continued environmental degradation caused by human
presence.
The Berlenga Island is part
of the World Heritage and a Natural Reserve, aspiring to be awarded the much
deserved classification of Biosphere Reserve.
It is common to forget, or
even be ignorant of, the true meaning of a Natural Reserve
- a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological
or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for
study or
research. The
Berlenga Island possesses an outstanding heritage
and a legacy from past generations. It is a precious resource for the future
and for which we should have the utmost respect. However, pressures upon the
Reserve’s natural resources is a serious threat for this goal. While the
“footprint of mankind” has historical significance to the Island, human’s
current presence has created considerable problems in the quiet and pleasant
experience that the Reserve offers: “a place to visit, a place to dream, a
place to know.”
Some simple examples of
these problems include diesel-generated electrical power, deficient supply
of drinking water, and absence of solid and liquid waste treatment, all of
which produce substantial damage to the Island and surrounding sea.
These situations are all
the more grave given that the Island is compatible with the status of a
Biosphere Reserve, but this award will be impossible to achieve if urgent
environmental measures are not taken. We are talking about a Biosphere
Reserve, defined in the UNESCO Programme on Man and Biospheree, and created
to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between humans and the
biosphere. C3P, jointly with NASA, are now coordinating the Berlenga Island
Project, that seeks to implement the necessary, and urgently needed, healing
therapies.
Similar to other projects
conducted by C3P, the Berlenga Project was comprehensively detailed during
the
2007 C3P & NASA Technical Workshop.
Opening
of the Exhibit “Berlengas: Desenho, Ilustração e Fotografia”
(Berlengas: Drawings, Illustrations
and Photos)
November
7, 2007
The opening
of the multimedia exhibit occurred on November 7, 2007, simultaneously with
the first day of the
C3P & NASA Technical Workshop 2007,
promoted by Centro Para a Prevenção da Poluição (C3P) and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and held at Escola Superior de
Turismo e
Tecnologia do Mar, in Peniche.
Between
November 7 and December 7, 2007, the Cultural Building of the Municipality
of Peniche held a multimedia exhibit, which had for general theme the extent
and rich natural heritage of Berlengas archipelago, one of the national
nature wonders. The exhibit “Berlengas: desenho, ilustração e fotografia”
is the result of a 7 day expedition, occurred during June 2007, led by Pedro
Salgado, a biologist and a known national scientific illustrator, and a team
composed
of 7
experts (1 photographer and 6 illustrators) with different
qualifications (biologists, designers, musicians, sculptors), all
of them
having
the same common experience, qualification and sensibility for the field,
nature and landscape drawing.
During the 7
day expedition, Pedro Salgado (biologist), Sandra Tapadas (sculptor), Marco
Correia (designer), João Lucas (musician), Filipe Franco (designer), Sara
Simões (designer) and Henrique Queiroga (biologist) spent all their time
drawing the Berlengas’ landscape, cliffs, fauna and flora, preparing a final
field book with a very personal stile. Besides, drawing, photographs were
taken to the same places, as well to the illustrators showing their
activities in the field. At the same time, several sounds were recorded,
resulting in the composition of a sound track that transmits all the magic
and singular experience of Berlenga Island.
The exhibit
had the support of the Municipality of Peniche, University of Aveiro and the
Berlenga Natural Reserve – ICNB, and the sponsorship of Banco Espírito Santo and Águas de Portugal – AdP. The exhibit
“Berlengas: desenho, ilustração e fotografia” was integrated in the
activities conducted by the Municipality of Peniche during the Ocean Month
(November 2007).
Exhibit video-clip
Media coverage of the field work (TVI)
Berlenga -
Laboratório de Sustentabilidade
July 5, 2007
The
HE
Secretary of State of Environment,
Prof. Dr.
Humberto
Delgado
Rosa, held, on July 5, 2007, at
the
Portuguese
Ministry of Environment, the
signing ceremony of the Letter of Commitment, which certify the
participation on the Project “Berlenga – Laboratório de Sustentabilidade” of
a relevant group of National companies and institutions.
Though
the outstanding historical and natural heritage, Berlenga Island is
threatened by a set of problems associated with man’s presence.
The
objective of the Project “Berlenga –
Sustainability
Laboratory” is to
reduce those threats through the intervention in the areas of energy, waste
management, water supply and treatment and sewage.
The
project main goals are to provide the island with energy generation and
storage capacities using renewable sources, as well as the production of
potable water and wastewater and solid waste treatment, all systems working
in an integrated manner, making the Berlenga work as a true Sustainable
Laboratory.
The
project can be applied in similar locations (island and remote regions) and
in underdevelopment countries.
The project Partners are:
Centro Para a Prevenção da Poluição (C3P), Biodiversity and Nature
Conservation Institutue (ICNB), Municipality of Peniche, EDP - Portugal
Energies, EFACEC, AdP - Portugal Waters, ISQ -Instituto de Soldadura e
Qualidade, , INESC - Instituto de Engenharias de Sistemas e Computadores do
Porto, INETI - National Institute of Innovation and Technology
Engineering, Galp Energy, PT, ITB Inc.-International Trade Bridge, NASA
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Portuguese Navy.
Following
the
signing ceremony, a visit to Berlenga Island was conducted, where the
project was presented.
Berlenga Video
E-mail for contact: Erica Sá ericasa@c3p.org
Last updated: 19/04/2010
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