Brussels – Buildings account for around half of the EU’s total energy consumption. As a result, energy efficiency of buildings is a major theme in the European Commission’s Clean Energy for All Europeans package of proposals and a focus of this year’s EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), which takes place from 19-25 June.
During the EUSEW, Greenovate! Europe are promoting two projects – ECO-SEE and ETFE-MFM – which have developed new technologies for more sustainable buildings. The projects are featured within the ‘Visualising Energy’ campaign, which highlights the human dimension of the energy transition through a public photo exhibition taking place in the European quarter of Brussels and a campaign magazine.
Over the last four years the ECO-SEE project has studied the use of innovative eco-building materials that have a positive impact on indoor environmental quality, while also radically improving the energy efficiency of buildings. The results show that natural materials, like sheep’s wool, clay and timber, can provide ideal solutions for these twin challenges and partners have developed a range of breakthrough eco-building solutions, including new and improved insulation, coating and panel products.
The ETFE-MFM project has developed an innovative solution for sustainable façade lighting, powered by photovoltaics. The Multifunctional Module consists of ETFE architecture, PV technology, illumination devices (LEDs) and flexible integrated circuits and can generate and store electricity from sunlight, which is then used to power impressive visual displays. The Module has been designed to include external batteries for onsite energy storage, but it can also be connected to the grid.
You can read the campaign magazine here, or pick up your copy at the EUSEW policy conference. The photo exhibition is currently on display outside the European Commission’s Charlemagne building, before being relocated to the Cinquantenaire Park for the summer. In the meantime, Greenovate! Europe is organising a policy event for the ECO-SEE project on 29 June in Brussels. The ‘90% indoors: Solutions for healthy and energy efficient buildings’ conference is free of charge but registration is required via this link.
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