Imatge
Imatge
BSM is driving an environmental strategy that aims to ensure the net positive impact of port activity, mitigate the effects of the climate emergency and adapt the port to the challenges posed by global warming, and to align it with the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda
The photovoltaic pergola on the Gastronomic Balcony will supply electricity to the Port Olímpic and other nearby BSM facilities, such as Barcelona Zoo, up to 7 car parks and the Poblenou Cemetery, making it one of the first zero-kilometre shared self-consumption initiatives in the city
The Port Olímpic will be the first port facility in the Spanish state to have two ultra-rapid charging points for boats which will feed off the self-produced renewable power stored at the port itself
The Port Olímpic is also committed to using seawater in the climate control systems of the new blue economy establishments on the Moll de Mestral
Ensuring the port’s activity has a net positive impact, mitigating the effects of the climate emergency and adapting to the new context brought about by global warming. These are the main aims of the environmental strategy that BSM is implementing at the Port Olímpic in line with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda, a project that is being presented over the coming days at the Boat Show.
To achieve this important goal, within the framework of the transformation process that is already under way, various initiatives are set to be implemented covering energy, water, waste, biodiversity and environmental education. There are also plans to implement measures to promote the naturalisation of the land and sea space and the use of innovation as a lever of change for nautical activities. All with digitisation as a key tool to facilitate decision-making and raise public awareness as a core aspect of the project.
For the first deputy mayor and president of BSM, Laia Bonet, “the Port Olímpic has mainstreamed sustainability, making it a key part of its transformation process. We are driving projects that will help us to mitigate the effects of the climate emergency and that, at the same time, will reduce the impact that the port itself has on the environment. Generating green energy, using seawater to reduce the heat island effect caused by climate control systems, managing waste and regenerating the seabed are just some aspects of this commitment. All these action lines are being carried out based on innovation and digitisation and they aim to respond to public demand for more sustainable infrastructures.
A large photovoltaic installation for shared self-consumption
In the eyes of the public, the large photovoltaic pergola that will cover the Gastronomic Balcony, the Port Olímpic’s new restaurant area, will be one of the most obvious signs of the commitment to sustainability in this new phase of the project.
Divided into 4 large sections of a high architectural quality, it will be formed by 1,576 photovoltaic panels, it will cover a surface area of 3,560 m2 and will have 620 kWp of power, with capacity to generate up to 825,000 kWh a year.
The installation will not only supply electricity to the port. It will be able to generate clean energy for other BSM facilities situated within a 2 kilometre radius: Barcelona Zoo, Poblenou Cemetery and up to 7 BSM car parks. In this way, the Port Olímpic will become the precursor to one of the first urban shared self-consumption and zero kilometre initiatives in the city, a strategy that BSM aims to follow in other emblematic establishments in the city that it manages.
The installation of the photovoltaic pergola, which will help to provide shade over the new restaurant area and will be fully integrated into its surroundings, has a budget of €1.9M.
The Port Olímpic is also putting other measures in place to promote energy saving, such as the use of high-efficiency LED lighting systems, improvements to the constructed elements of the new buildings to ensure better insulation, the circular economy of materials and the incorporation of more sustainable climate control systems.
A benchmark for sustainable sailing
The photovoltaic pergola will be directly involved in one of the most innovative projects being promoted by the Port Olímpic. As part of the commitment to sustainable sailing ,and with the aim of supporting the development of the sector, the Port Olímpic will have two ultra-rapid charging points for electric boats. Each point will be capable of charging either one 150 kW vessel or two 75 kW vessels simultaneously.
The project will make the Port Olímpic the first port facility in the Spanish state with an ultra-rapid charging service provided using green energy produced and stored at the Port itself. Specifically, the chargers will run on energy generated by the photovoltaic pergolas. To maximise the use of solar power, next to the charging points a series of batteries will be installed that will be able to store up to 150 KWh. When necessary, the chargers will also be able to run on power from the conventional network, from where they will obtain green energy.
The installation of the two EV chargers is yet another example of the Port Olímpic's commitment to promoting the sustainable and innovative sailing sector, one of the activity sectors that it aims to ensure has a significant weight in the configuration of the blue economy hub which is now under way and which is anticipating the future of small and medium-sized vessels.
The EV chargers will be up and running by the end of summer 2024, to coincide with the start of the America's Cup, during which the Port Olímpic will be the base for the youth and women’s regattas. The charging points will be used to charge the support vessels used in the competition, which will be electric motor boats. In this way, the project will become one of the initiatives being put in place to drive the development of the local blue sectors, coinciding with the holding of this important event in the city.
However, the Port Olímpic has also thought about how to make use of this new infrastructure after the competition. And so, when it came to deciding on the location of the chargers, a place was chosen that will facilitate their use by the boats moored at the Port Olímpic and by other vessels that are passing through. Given that the development of the electric boat sector still has some way to go, they can also be used to charge electric cars.
The project has a budget of €1,058,000, of which €423,200 comes from a subsidy awarded by the Moves Programme for efficient and sustainable mobility within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, financed with Next Generation funds.
Using the sea to combat the heat island effect caused by climate control systems
The Port Olímpic will use seawater to cool the climate control system of the Moll de Mestral, the epicentre of the blue economy hub and the place where the future auditorium will be located. To do this, a seawater capture infrastructure is being built along with a pipeline that will carry the water to the machine room located inside the dock where the heat production equipment will be cooled, after which the water will be returned to the sea.
