Almere is now the fastest-growing city in Netherlands. Is built on a reclaimed surface, and below their level. It is a pioneering population is creating a new concept of sustainable quality of life. It has a waste transport system with 8 km of underground pipelines and more than 350 boxes installed in public spaces and buildings connected with the city facilities generating waste.
The occurrences of this city do not end there. Nuon, the energy distribution company, has begun building a solar thermal to provide hot water (DHW) to one of their new neighborhoods.
6.900m2 comprise the installation of solar collectors on a 15.000m2 surface that forms the “solar island”. The hot water will be transported by pipeline into homes in the neighborhood of West Noordenplassen. 9750 GJ per year, 10% of the consumption of 2,700 inhabitants. The total project cost amounts to € 6 million, including € 1.4m grant awarded by the EU.
It is not the first nor the last example is offered by our northern neighbors, they also have many fewer hours of sun in Spain we have not yet developed any project of this scale, but the potential of solar thermal centralized whether in buildings, housing developments and / or neighborhoods, is great for reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
In this sense, it is crucial the involvement of municipalities and, since public opinion can convey these ideas and concerns.
