Biophotovoltaics for nature and people
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Project Description
Biophotovoltaics (BPV) is a source of renewable energy that leverages plants’ natural life cycles to generate electricity. Biophotovoltaics for nature and people aims to develop BPV by sharing knowledge about this new technology, and with its innovative “green areas” prototype, that integrates BPV. This infrastructure uses mostly soil, plants, water and electric compounds. It is designed for urban environments that it can help rehabilitate, by creating new activity and increasing local biodiversity, while producing energy.
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
Which funds
Year
Description of the project
Summary
If we protect, promote and study natural ecosystems, not only will we be able to sustain the ecosystem services, but also we will discover new ways to make up the most out of them. To do this, a shift in mindset is needed, so that people move from taking nature as a given to exploit to consider it a gift, a personal belonging that needs to be taken care of to maximize its benefits in a responsible way.
This project aims to drive these two ideas forward, by developing a public green infrastructure that allows to take full advantage of nature to provide high value to our cities, not only by transforming a decaying urban are into an aesthetical, healthy and biodiverse environment for citizens to enjoy, but particularly by implementing an innovative technology – biophotovoltaics – that allows to obtain energy from plant normal functioning. In order to promote the mentioned change in people’s mindset, we will follow a pedagogic and collaborative construction approach that will engage local volunteers from different backgrounds to immerse them in nature and teach them basic concepts of environmental health, plant biology, sustainability, energy production, and others. This approach will allow us to share natural scientific knowledge to society, communicate the value and potential of natural ecosystems and the importance of protecting nature, and, moreover, create an inclusive opportunity for people from different generations and social backgrounds to interact, share experiences and learn from each other, building local community and enhancing the feelings of belonging, social purpose and connectedness.
The technology that will be leveraged to obtain energy from plants is called biophotovoltaics (BPV) and is an emerging and promising source of clean energy. At the start of this project, it was estimated that BPV systems would be able to generate up to 3.2 W m-2of planting area under Western European conditions (Helder, 2012).
Key objectives for sustainability
1) Promote the development and implementation of biophotovoltaics into urban areas as a way towards cleaner and more sustainable cities, via the creation of new multifunctional ecosystems capable of reducing the environmental impact generated by them. Decaying urban areas will be transformed in new green areas, making the life in our cities healthier while reducing their environmental impact by producing clean energy to satisfy their energy demands
2) Promote the use of natural and recyclable materials whose sourcing generates a minimum impact to the environment. Approximately, 95% of the materials needed to carry out this project are natural such as soil, plants and water.
3) Promote collaborative and pedagogic models where participants acquire useful notions about natural processes and biophotovoltaics and the key role nature plays in modern life. The green infrastructure will be built with the collaboration of volunteers from different background and age creating opportunities for intergenerational dialogue, sharing perspectives and learning from each other. ‘Learning by doing’ results in better understanding of concepts and create a sense of authorship towards the results, what results in empowerment of the community and willingness to take care of the work and, in extension, of nature
4) Ensure access to affordable, secure, sustainable and modern energy for all (Sustainable Development Goal No. 7, established by the United Nations in 2015). Biophotovoltaics (BPV) is a source of clean energy that leverages photosynthesis and the metabolic activity of heterotrophic microorganisms existing in the plant rhizosphere to generate electrical energy. 13% of the world's population still does not have access to modern electricity services. The further research and development of this technology and its adaptation to different local climates and biodiversity would help to ensure all have access to energy.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Aesthetics can be found in nature through its thousands of harmonious, balanced and sustainable shapes. To bring the aesthetics for nature to our cities, we must choose native plant species for our green infrastructures, species that are the most appropriate for our local environment. These native plants will look healthy along the year, changing their look depending on the seasons and attracting local birds and insects to increase the biodiversity of the area. This would not only ensure a beautiful and natural area but also ensure that the resources needed for maintenance (personnel, materials, water…) are the minimum.
The green infrastructure, with its smart design and integrated biophotovoltaics, will autonomously produce and supply electricity to the urban furniture that surrounds it, such as low voltage demands as urban lighting, public WIFI, etc.
The infrastructure will be designed following the concept of biophilia: love for nature and other living beings. Biophilic design tries to emulate nature in the buildings we spend our time in, incorporating different elements of nature both indoor and outdoor spaces with the aim of improving people's health and well-being.
The location of the green infrastructure will be chosen in a way that its construction serves to regenerate a decaying urban area, transforming it into a powerful and beautiful communal area that citizens can enjoy and that helps increasing and protecting the local biodiversity. Additionally, the green infrastructure will be designed to make the most of the existing space and to be perfectly integrated into the surrounding urbanism, to avoid major adaptation works.
Finally, we believe that creating such a new green environment able to produce clean energy will have a domino effect and lead to the construction of more and more green functional areas: such an smart park will catch the interest of public institutions and obtain citizen advocacy.
Key objectives for inclusion
Biophotovoltaics leverages the subproducts of the symbiosis existing between plants and bacteria. This project aims to extrapolate this concept of symbiosis to humans, leveraging collaboration of different volunteer profiles (e.g. families, students from local schools, elderly, people at risk of social exclusion) to build not only a green infrastructure but also a better community where everyone feels connected and appreciated and can share its knowledge and know-how.
The collaborative construction and maintenance process will follow a 4-step cycle approach, where volunteers will learn about different natural processes and concepts:
- Soil preparation – concepts addressed: recycling, organic matter, carbon cycle, composting, circularity
- Plant preparation – concepts addressed: photosynthesis, microorganisms and bacteria, habitat and ecosystems, plant propagation and multiplication
- Participatory construction – concepts addressed: biophotovoltaics, energy and cities, biodiversity and autochthonous species, ecosystem services
- Monitoring, evaluation and redesign – concepts addressed: natural and recycled materials, plant care, climatology
The participants must complete all the stages in order to learn the concepts mentioned and reach a good understanding of how biophotovoltaics work and are. This knowledge will increase the interest in nature and natural processes of the volunteers but also capacitate them to create biophotovoltaic systems by themselves. Additionally, the methodology can be adapted to and replicated in any part of the world, resulting in empowered populations and promoting self-access to electricity and energy freedom.
Additionally, the implementation of this technology would generate clean and inexpensive energy that would be used to power the city’s electric urban furniture.
The participation of public administration and city councils will be key to find an appropriate location and call out for participants adequately.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
Beatiful and sustainable
We will regenerate a decaying urban area to give it back to the citizens by transforming it into a green area that is not only beautiful but also functional, been able to generate clean energy for the city. We will create an ecosystem that safeguards local biodiversity through the utilization of autochthonous plant species and the generation of a new habitat for other animal, fungal and bacterial species, that is aesthetically appealing and dynamic, changing its aspect through the seasons.
The materials used to build the green infrastructure will be 95% repurposed, recyclable, and sustainable, since the major ones are soil, plants, water and electric compounds. Also, at the end of life of the infrastructure, it will be possible to reuse all materials, closing the circular production process.
Additionally, the infrastructure will generate enough energy to power urban elements, an energy that is cleaner and more inexpensive than conventional ones, improving the sustainability of the city and reducing the environmental and economic impact that urban infrastructures generate.
Inclusive place
The implementation of the technology and the construction of the green infrastructure will provide an opportunity to any kind of public to work together to return an occupied space to nature, creating a healthier ecosystem for humans and a new space for citizens to enjoy and observe the nature; all while promoting learning, dialogue, and belonging for a better community.
