The LIFE ZEROENERGYMOD project, promoted by the Aragon Hydrogen Foundation (FHa), has received in Madrid the Energy Globe Award in Spain, in the Air Category, awarded by the commercial office of the Austrian Embassy in our country. This is the most renowned environmental award in the world and brings together almost 200 participants, with initiatives ranging from small and simple ideas to large-scale high-level projects.
The general director of Industrial Promotion and Innovation of the Government of Aragon, Mar Paños, collected the award as Vice-President of the FHa, accompanied by its managing director, Fernando Palacín. The FHa already won this same award in 2020 and its contribution is essential to advance in the development and implementation of innovative solutions in the field of energy.
LIFE ZEROENERGYMOD is capable of revolutionising modular living spaces with a zero-energy mobile module based on the Passivhaus standard, allowing a 75% reduction in energy consumption. Aimed at military bases and remote areas, it drastically cuts energy consumption, saving 5.7 kl/year of diesel, reducing CO2 and nitrogen oxide emissions by 15 and 0.33 tonnes per year, respectively, and generating 4 megawatt hours from renewable sources.
The prototype eliminates dependence on fossil fuels by integrating photovoltaics, wind power and a lithium and hydrogen battery storage system. The use of hydrogen as an energy vector is key to the life inside the module, as it allows the module’s energy autonomy to be extended between 20 and 40 days. This project is a pioneer in the use of hydrogen in buildings.
This habitable modular solution is installed and tested in two Spanish Army camps located in Zaragoza and Latvia, in addition to an after-LIFE demonstration at the Gabriel de Castilla Antarctic Base, managed by the Spanish Army, which has an extreme climate where energy management is critical. The project has as partners, in addition to the Aragon Hydrogen Foundation as coordinator, the University Centre of Defence and the companies B-Haus, specialised in PassivHaus construction, and ARPA EMC, with extensive experience in installation, maintenance and design of military and emergency mobile field equipment.
The event, held at the Austrian Embassy in Madrid, was attended by numerous key players from the Spanish and Austrian energy sector, making it a unique opportunity to learn about achievements and future prospects in the field of sustainable energy, as well as to network and share ideas with other leaders in the industry.
