Summary of the II Ecotopy Workshop
22th
- 24th october 1999 - Hoyos (Cáceres)
It
started with a welcome speech by the co-ordinator of BIOEX, Luis Antonio Lázaro,
thanking the promoters, specially the program ALTENER II from the DGXVII, the
Government of Extremadura, and the portuguese partners ADRACES, for their
support, without which it would have been impossible to organize this II
Transborder ECOTOPY Workshop.
Aurelio García Bermudez,
Mayor of Hoyos and President of the Regional Council of the Gata Range (Sierra
de Gata), thanked the speakers, guests, and other attendants for their presence
and wished that everyone would fall in love with the Gata Range so that they
would be back as often as they wished.
Joaquim Morau,
President of the Council Chamber of Castello Branco and President of ADRACES
talked about the interest that exists in the Portuguese Raya for Renewable
Energies and Sustainable Development; this is due to the fact that it is, in
many ways, a pristine area and that it has an important potential for wind and
biomass energy. He pointed out the necessity of collaborating in transnational
projects with the neighbours of the Raya in order to develop future co-operation
projects. These may then be
presented to the European Programs on Sustainable Development.
Leopoldo Torrado,
Director General for the Environment of the Government of Extremadura explained
that he came in place of Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra, the President of the
Government of Extremadura, who could not attend, despite his great interest, due
to the precarious health of his father who died that day. Leopoldo spelled out
the historical evolution of the regional policy in relation to ecological
development, and particularly:
-
The regional plans for the treatment of USR,
that have eliminated most of the uncontrolled dumps in the towns of Extremadura.
-
The current USR recycling plants, which have
been recently tendered out with an investment of 3500 million pesetas.
-
The policies of environmental education, of
fight against bush fires, of restauration of degraded areas.
-
The nature classrooms and the environment
interpretation centers that have been built in order to promote environmental
education for the youngest.
He
also pointed out the potential that exists in the region in relation to
renewable energies, specially wind and biomass. These are issues that are being
studied meticulously in regards to their industrial execution.
Finally,
Jose Donoso, as the spanish
representative in the European Commision in the field of Renewable Energies
talked in place of Mª Angels Pérez Latorre, the director of the ALTENER II
Program, who could not attend the Worshop due to health problems. He pointed out
some important issues in his inagural presentation:
-
The I+D European programs of the V Framework
Program, want to see the generalized establishment of Renewable Energies in the
Europe of the 15, by the year 2010, under the guidelines spelled out in the
White Book of Energy published in 97.
-
Spain is finalizing the Plan of Energy by the
Department of Fomento, which will be presented at the Congress in November. This
Plan develops the measures necesary for the attainment of the objectives set by
the White Book of Energy, specially in regards to arriving at a 12% of electric
power coming from FER.
-
Spain is in the forefront of other european
countries in terms of research and development of innovative programs in the
field of renewable energies.
After
a brief rest and tasting local products, the presentation of the announced
exhibitions started.:
-
Luis Antonio Lázaro presented the Exhibition on
Renewable Energies in the Europe of the nineties.
-
Javier García Rueda, technical director of BIOEX,
presented the CAMOBI (Modular Bioclimatic House) industrial project. The
companies HOYOS TAC & BIOEX and the Center
of Architectures Adapted to the Madrid Environment have been working on
this project for three years. The real prototype, which will soon be home to
BIOEX and TAC, could not be presented due to bad weather.
-
J.L. Nicolás, as a representative of the
General Subdirection of Housing of the Department of Fomento, explained the
process of the Contest of Good Practice in Spanish Cities, sponsored by UNO
since the World Habitat II Congress in Istambul in 96. Since then it has become
an itinerant exhibition, from which it is worth mentioning a project in the city
of Malaga that won a golden medal; only two cities in the world have obtained
such a distintion.
Antonio Velez
(moderator) makes a personal introduction to the Sierra of
Gata
"Gata
is discovered with great passion, in Gata there is something magic",
"Gata has a harmonious stable rythm, which is only found in a few places in
this planet, like the Alpujarras, Tibet"
Any
change in the productive system must be done with a multi-productive vision.
Gata
has the capability of controlling its endogenous energetic production.
Ignacio Corrales. Head of the External Action Service of G.T.I. of
Extremadura
"
Transnational Co-operation from the Cabinet of Transborder Initiatives"
GIT is an Interreg project and an eficient tool
for transborder co-operation with the aims of supporting co-operation
projects, and stimulating economic and social agents in the Region.
·
Extremadura and Portugal have been historically
far from the nucleous of political power (i.e. Madrid).
·
Comunication and co-operation between
Extremadura and Portugal has only started in recent times (the 90)
·
Since 95 GIT offers economic, technical and
human support to individual co-operation projects (e.g. Portuguese language
courses)
Aurelio Gracia Bermudez. President of the Regional
Council of Sierra de Gata
"
Transnational Co-operation Actions and Rural Development in the Raya"
·
Links between
Extremadura and Portugal (La Raya) have only been established in the last
10 years.
·
Language is very important as the last
comunication barrier between Spain and Portugal.
·
There is a compromise to work with Interreg II,
as a push for the development of
the Raya; a series of infrastructures have already been created (roads, cultural
centres).
·
From 1994 to 96, Leader (I, II) Projects for
Rural Development .
·
The current relevant issues for the group of
Councils of the Sierra of Gata deal with achieving a sustainable rural
development: origin denomination for olive oil, biological agriculture, wine,
handcrafts, bush fires, education of young people that stay in the Sierra, wind
energy, biomass.
Fernando Mejias Guisado. Director General of
Agricultural Infrastructures
"
Models of Rural development in Extremadura: programs Leader and Proder"
·
Proposes a sustainable model of development for
Extremadura, which has to generate sufficient resources to support the
population in a sustainable manner.
·
Proposes several changes in strategy in order to
arrive to this model in Extremadura:
Droping
the false dychotomy between natural and rural environments in order to achieve a
co-ordinated development.
Agriculture
should be the base for the development in Extremadura
Agriculture
must be multifunctional
It
must be assumed that the productible system must change so that resources are
not dilapidated.
Agricultural
activities must maintain their current diversification.
Guidelines
for the different productive systems (irrigation, dehesa, olive groves, forest)
must be set.
Other
activities are necessary to maintain the wellbeing of the population.
·
The Leader and Proder programs aim to support
activities that are complementary to agriculture in the rural areas, intending
an economic diversification and promoting the involment of citizens in the
problems of their environment.
·
These programs play an important role, creating
new enterprises and jobs.
·
We need a regionalization, the region is an
optimal división to carry out sustantial projects.
· We are at the right time to try and develop a sustainable model for many reasons: there is consesus that it is a good model, Extremadura is not too degraded, Leader and Proder are already established.
Javier Corominas, Junta Adviser
·
Proposes a debate on land rights
·
Urban development plans cannot be trusted to
owners or speculators; he proposes that responsibility for urban development
must be shared between the Council and the Regional Government.
·
Proposes the generation and maintenance of
public land leaving behind fears of the past about taking drastic measures when
necesary.
Luis Crespo
(moderator), greap leap of RES in the last 10 years
José Donoso. Director for International Relations IDEA (Madrid)
"Renewable
Energies at the European Union according to the White Book"
·
Institutional frame at the European level :
White Book 1997 of the RES
Aims:
RES must contribute 12% of primary
energy production by the year 2010,
an investment of 27 billion pesetas.
·
The cost of RES is justified on the long term
by:
Environment:
reduction of emmisions of CO2 and
other pollutants
Job
creation: domestic market, exports
Local
development, economic and social cohesion by its own conception
RES
contribute to the reduction of imports
Reduction
in fuel expenditure
·
Spain is the only european country which has to
attain by law (Royal decree) a 12% of the total primary energy demand comming
from RES
·
Currently RES represents 6% of the total energy
produced
·
A new RES plan, ambitious yet realistic, is
going to be presented to the ministerial council.
It intends an increase in regional, cohesive and sustainable attitudes with a strong
export content
*
There is currently a discussion about the new european directive on conexion to
the electricity grid (British and Spanish models).
Antonio Joao Lopes. Administrator of the Centre for Energy Conservation
in Portugal.
"
Renewable Energies and Sustainable Development in Portugal"
·
In Portugal there is a high percentage of energy
coming from petroleum, less from coal, and some from autoctonous sources.
·
Amongst the renewable energy sources in Portugal
there is biomass (forests and biogas), mini-hydrolic, wind, solar and thermic;
the development of these last two sources is difficult due to lack of
technicians.
·
Barriers to the development of RES:
Low
prices paid to the producer
The
national grid cannot and doesn´t want to link with small installations
Environmental
considerations for wind and hydrolic energy
Cultural
issues
·
Hydrolic energy has a great potential specially
at the the mini-hydrolic.
·
The last 4 years have seen the financing of
25 minihydraulic dams, 13 wind farms, 2 biomass plants
·
Great potential for solar energy
P.Ballesteros CEC DG XVII Structural and Cohesión Fund, Energy, Environment.
"Current Situation of Renewable Energies and Rational Use of Energy"
·
There is no European energy policy, only
initiatives.
·
Direct European measures in RES:
Promotion
measures, like this Workshop
Measures
of Support towards technological
development, sponsoring of proposals (e.g. Framework Program)
·
A political compromise and an improvement of co-oordination
are needed
·
Parlamentary support is needed
·
A Communitary energy policy is needed
·
Energy production in one country affects other
countries (e.g. through CO2 emmissions)
·
The White Book proposes a plan of action:
1-
Internal market measures (free accesss to the liberalized electricity
market, finantial measures supporting investment, specific initiaties in
technological niches)
2-
Reinforcement of Communitary policy, it is important to be energetically
independent
3-Support measures (information, projects)
4- “Take Off” campaings
Arturo López Ornat. Director of Pangea Consultants (Madrid)
"The
Program Araucaria in Sustainable Development"
·
20% of the population consumes 80% of the world
energy, great North-South imbalance
·
In Latin America natural resources are being
exploited at a huge rate.
·
The Araucaria program represents a modest
contribution by the Spanish Government towards sustainable development in Latin
America.
·
Northern countries have made the compromise to
provide one third of the resources necessary to maintain biodiversity in the
South.
Godfrey
Boyle.
Director of the Energy and
Environment Research Unit at the Open University of the United Kingdom.
·
Solar energy is the source of all RES; that is,
due to the energy coming from the sun, biomass is created through photosynthesis
, the sun is responsible for the wind (wind energy), etc.
·
The report by Greenpeace “Wind Force” says:
-
Wind energy could provide 10% of all the worlds electricity in 20 years (20% by
the year 2040)
-
Wind energy is the fastest growing RES in the world
-
The cost of wind energy is competitive with coal, gas, nuclear energy
-
Spain, Germany and Denmark are the biggest markets for wind energy in
Europe
·
The report by Greenpeace “Breaking the Solar
Impass” says:
-
Solar electricity is 5 times too expensive to be
competitive although its costs are reducing at a rate of 5% per year
-
To reduce costs it is necessary to invest in
large scale production of photovoltaic cells
-
It is necessary to accelerate the process of
substituting conventional energy sources for RES becouse in that way, risks
asociated with Global Climatic Change will be reduced
·
The World Energy Council and Shell say that
between 50-80% of the worlds energy will be RES by the middle of the next
century.
Paul Allen. Director of the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT).
"Solutions
directed towards Sustainable Development from a Planetary Perspective".
·
The Gaia Theory proposes that living beings
influence and regulate environmental processes (E.g. composition of atmospheric
gasses).
·
Only through the understanding of how the Planet
works can we diagnose environmental changes and prioritize environmental
problems.
·
According to the Gaia Theory the main
environmental problems are the Greenhouse effect and the loss of biodiversity
·
Developed countries enjoy the benefits of a
disproportionate part of the worlds´ energetic resources but the whole Planet
sufers the consequences of the emisions of fosil fuels
·
CAT was created 25 years ago in Wales by a bunch
of idealists, it is a centre for the demonstration of sustainable technologies
and practices, currently it recieves 80.000 visitors a year
·
CAT is powered by sun, wind and hydrolic energy,
mainly. At CAT almost everything is recycled.
·
The role of CAT goes further than that of a
research and education centre, it is also a centre of practical information to
solve environmental problems.
·
Information technology can play an important
role while achieving global sustainability
·
Three pilars of sustainability;environmental,
social, and economic.
Roderick Hurst. Coordinator of the Ecological Resources of the DGXII of the
EU (Brusels).
"Preserving
ecosystems in the context of the Fifth Framework Program".
·
The Framework Program has been growing steadily
through the years (since 1984)
·
The Fifth Framework Program adresses key
European problems and tries to facilitate the flow of resources between member
countries
·
Its main priority is to develop a scientific
knowledge base.
·
Some of the
main actions of the Fifth Framework Program are:
-
Sustainable management and water quality
-
Global Climatic Change and Biodiversity
-
Sustainable marine ecosystems
Carlos Robles Piquer, Presiden of EUFORES
"Perspectives of the Renewable Energies in the EU"
The world energy structure is held on three principles:
1.
Energy is the engine to well-being , no one
wants to stop consuming it. Energy consumption at the developed countries grows
at a 0,3% annual rate, but the rate is higher at the under-developed countries.
2.
All energy sources pollute the environment or
involve a risk, but the degree of hazard varies a lot depending on the source.
3.
It is vital to have sources of energy that are
safe, clean, local, that generate employment and available at a reasonable price.
It is an absurd that we do not have a common
policy on Energy, this is a great obstacle in the way towards European
integration
. Although liberalization, privatisation, and merging have changed the
old scene, the member states of the EU follow different energy policies: this is
mainly due to the fact that the sources are different in each country.
Similarities
amongst european countries in regards to energy:
1.
External dependency of the Union is worrying
though not critical.
2.
Consumption will continue growing between 0,6%
and 0,9% per year.
3.
Renewable sources will grow, the objective of
increasing their contribution to the total consumption from 6% to 12% by the
year 2010 will probably be reached.
The White Book of the Comisión on Energy adopted in January 1996
considers three objectives as prioritary, and in this order: general
competitivity, reliability of energy suply and environmental protection. However,
priorities of citizens are different, in this order: reduction of pollution,
stability of prizes, reduction of the greenhouse effect, and reliability in the
suply.
Saving energy, energetic efficiency, and renewable energies are, together,
the only efective option to reduce CO2 emissions. It is necessary to change the
current tendencies, which are based in the squandering and
the importing of polluting energies
Marta García Nart. Technical adviser for the
International Relations of the General Subdirection of U rban Ordination
of the Department of Fomento of Spain
Aims
to be achieved in sustainable cities:
·
Balanced city system that exploits resources
without sqandering them
·
Cities that are less consumist and less
pollutant
·
Cities that are integrated in the natural
environment
Action
criteria:
·
Liveability as one of the components of
sustainabliity
·
Quality of live of people must improve
·
City planning must aim to solve social exclusion
problems
·
The ethical compromise of the population is
important. It is important to make an effort so that citizens are imformed.
The
program of “Good Practice” finances accions aiming to achieve sustainable
cities: instalation of solar panels, stablishement of environmental health
indicators, promotion of eco-tourism, etc.
Many
of these actions stem from the community (conservation groups, community
organizations, etc)
It is fundamental to develop follow up methods and methods
of assesment of the urban planning policies.
Emilio Miguel Mitre, Bioclimatic architect and Director
of EMMA.
“Ecological urbanizations as Energetic Islands”
The city always tends towards concentration. Too much
concentration brings problems (pollution, lack of green areas, etc) but too much
dispersion is also problematic (increase of the energetic expense in transport).
An optimum must be found.
The urban project for an energetic island in Navarra:
·
The main solutions used in
order to achieve an energetic island are wind generators, bioclimatic houses,
solar collectors, photovoltaic cells, and intersasonal accumulators
·
The technology necessary to
achieve energetic island exists, but the construction industry is reticent to
use it.
·
The monthly fixed expenses
for a dwelling of such characteristics will be lower than those of a
conventional dwelling. Even if the expenses were similar such a dwelling
would be worth becouse of the increase in quality of life.
·
The project is finantially
viable. Energy can be produced from the start and sold. After 10 to 12 years the
city will start producing an income.
The
concept of “urban” has changed but it is still to be defined conceptually
and politically. The concept of sustainable development is also a dodgy concept,
since our wastes have an effect past our frontiers. It is necessary to make long
term checks at different levels: environmental, production and reutilization,
social, economic and legal.
We
must maintain hope. We need a global policy that integrates all models at
different levels: associative, sanitary, educational, transport , etc.
Mª Angels Pérez Latorre.
The Take Off Camping of the Program ALTENER II
The
TAKE OFF camping will last several years, from 1999 to 2003 with the aim of
carrying out large scale projects in different aspects of Renewable Energies.
The potentially dynamic actors in the campaing are numerous and include regional
authorities, councils, profesional associations, farmer and producer
associations and industry.
Objectives:
·
Reaching a 12% of energy
coming from RES by the year 2010.
·
Aiming to reduce the
emissions of Greenhouse gases, the main producer is the energy industry with 90%
CO2 production.
·
Aiming to increase the
demand for renewable energies.
·
Supporting RES and its
rational use; supporting its development (infrastructure, charges, conexion to
the grid, reductions, subsidizing I+D, etc.)
·
Supporting solar thermal
energy, because it’s the biggest potential market.
How
to reach the objectives:
·
Establishing an appropiate
regulatory framework
·
To use energy rationally
and to improve efficiency (reduction of costs and promotion of innovation)
·
To promote a greater
energy production from RES.
·
A market push increasing
the implementing of RES.
·
To facilitate the acces of
RES to the internal electricity market (mangement and regulations for the
conextion to the grid with minimal obstacles)
·
With fixed support (
maintanence of equivalent prices)
Solutions:
·
One reception point
·
To ensure the co-ordination
between Administrations
·
Establishment of a fast
procedure
·
RES specific guidelines
·
Development of RES at a National and Regional
levels
·
Promotion of the Take Off Campaing, which is
composed of seven key actions supported by the Union:
|
1
million kWfv generated by photovoltaic installations (FV) |
|
15
million m2 solar collectors |
|
10.000
MW generated by wind farms |
|
10.000
MW thermic (MWt) generated by biomass installations |
|
1
million houses heated by biomass |
|
1.000
MW geemrated by biogas installations |
|
5
million tonns of liquid biofuels |
José Antonio Pérez Rubio.
Co-ordinator of the “Cátedra” of UNESCO of Sustainable Development,
University of Extremadura.
"Methodological
Parameters in Sustainable Development "
(Ver su ponencia)
Antonio Aparicio. Director of Rural Environment
"New Perspectives for an Integrated Rural Development
"
(Ver su ponencia)
Luis
Antonio Lázaro. Coordinador de Proyectos de BIOEX
Renewable
Energies and Sustainable Development in the Raya”"
Objectives of the RES Plan in the Raya:
-
To encourage a collaboration framework between
Spain and Portugal
-
To develop a Plan for Renewable Energies in the
described transborder area
-
To atract as many funds from the EU (INTERREG
III, ALTENER II, THERMIE II, V Plan Marco I+D, SAVE ... ) as posible
-
To develop a new economic and industrial tissue
in the area
-
To achieve, above the objectives of the White
Book of Energy of the EU, by the year 2010, that 100 % of electric energy and at
least 12 % of liquid fuels consumed in the Raya, come from renewable sources.
-
To facilitate the contact and collaboration
amongst the public local and regional bodies and the finantial and energy
corporations that wish to invest in renewable energy industries.
-
To transform the whole transborder area of the
Raya in a bioregion as energetic island with Renewable Energy Sources.
Jesús Garzón. Naturalist and Natural Habitat Conservationist (Cáceres)
"Rural Tradition in the XXI Century"
-
En algunos países de la UE,
como España y Portugal, hay una cultura rural, muy rica en tradiciones
culturales y oficios artesanales que se está perdiendo de forma casi
irreversible. Esta Tradición rural debe de protegerse como se protegen las
especies animales o vegetales en vías de extinción.
-
Esta tradición rural está
relacionada con el mantenimiento de
una ganadería autóctona, de una agricultura extensiva y no intensiva, de unos
oficios artesanales relacionados con la autosuficiencia...
-
Para todas estas
manifestaciones de la cultura rural
hispana, por no decir europea ya que en la mayoría de los países de la UE ya
se ha extinguido, es necesario tomar medidas de protección que implica apoyar y
formar al tejido joven de los pueblos más rurales, para que no rompar la cadena
de conexión y transmisión que los ancestros les transmiten.
-
Los principales
enemigos de esta cultura tradicional rural son:
§
La tecnología, incluida la
de los parques eólicos.
§
También la agricultura intensiva y transgénica de las
grandes multinacionales
§
El turismo rural masificado
que acelera un modelo de consumo en las zonas del campo con más encanto y mejor
conservadas en su patrimonio rural tradicional.
§
La televisión y la cultura
urbana que llega al campo como modelo a imitar
§
Las multinacionales del
comercio mundial que globalizan impositivamente los intercambios de mercancías
en el mundo, de tal manera que los pequeños productores del campo no
tienen forma de comercializar sus productos y de subsistir con el patrimonio
heredado de sus antepasados.
-
Hay que volver a modelos
descentralizados de cultura rural, donde las comarcas naturales tiendan a
mantener la máxima autonomía en la gestión de su patrimonio y de sus
necesidades. Hay que recuperar la cadena de transmisión de los ancestros, casi
olvidada por las jóvenes generaciones de los pueblos, para que todo ese acerbo
cultural de equilibrio con la
naturaleza y supervivencia en armonía con el entorno no se pierda para siempre.
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