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THE HOME OF THE BRIGHT GREEN FUTURE

GRANADILLA DE ABONA, Tuesday March 16 2010FROM recycling your rubbish to cycling to work, in recent years we hae been urge! to

"ake "yria! s"all changes to our li#estyles to sae the worl! #ro" the su$$ose!lycataclys"ic threat o# cli"ate change%

by &'ME( T)EE*IEBut how much ca we rea!!y cotr"#ute towards cutt"$ $!o#a! $reehouse $as em"ss"os #y

us"$ !ow%eer$y !"$ht #u!#s ad &utt"$ our &otato &ee!"$s " a com&ost #"' (a we rea!!y ha)ea car#o%eutra! !"*esty!e'

The (aary Is!ads ha)e #ecome someth"$ o* a !a#oratory *or reewa#!e eer$y o)er the !asttwo decades+ Teer"*e has three w"d *arms w"th te more " the &"&e!"e, ad a &hoto%e!ectr"c so!ar&ae!s are ow assem#!ed at a *actory o the "s!ad, a we!come d")ers"*"cat"o *rom the cr"s"s%h"ttour"sm ecoomy+

Teer"*es Reewa#!e Eer$y ad Techo!o$"ca! Ist"tute -ITER. o&eed "ts ew #"oc!"mat"chomes e/h"#"t at "ts headuarters " the Graad"!!a "dustr"a! estate o March 1+ The 1%year !o$&ro3ect attracted des"$s #y 45 !ead"$ arch"tects *rom 4 coutr"es, o* wh"ch 27 were chose to

#e #u"!t+ITER "s 0 &er cet owed #y Teer"*es (a#"!do $o)ermet ad "s a &et &ro3ect o* curret(a#"!do &res"det ad e$"eer R"cardo Me!ch"or+

B"oc!"mat"c homes use a )ar"ety o* h"$h% ad !ow%techo!o$y des"$ *eatures to actua!!y &roducemore eer$y tha they use+

8hoto%e!ectr"c ad so!ar water heat"$ &ae!s are o#)"ous so!ut"os to th"s &ro#!em, #ut th"c9wa!!s *or "su!at"o, !ar$e o&e"$ w"dows to tra& or re!ease the sus heat, )et"!at"o cham#ersad e)e the &os"t"o"$ ad or"etat"o o* the #u"!d"$ : e/&!o"t"$ atura! terra" : are ut"!"sed to$ood e**ect+

;&ea9"$ at the o&e"$ ceremoy, were &re)et"$ the coce&t *rom catch"$ o as *ast as "t shou!d+

I had the o&&ortu"ty to !oo9 aroud the homes a *ew days #e*ore the o**"c"a! o&e"$, $u"ded #yem&!oyee ?os@ I$ac"o erade=+

+olcanic +ineyar!Each house has "ts ow ame+ The *"rst oe we )"s"t "s La Geria, amed a*ter the trad"t"oa!

method o* costruct"o *rom the (aar"a "s!ad o* La=arote used " "ts &a!e $rey )o!ca"c ashwa!!s+ A!! the mater"a!s used " the #u"!d"$s costruct"o were !oca!!y%sourced+

The des"$ #y a team o* s"/ ;&a"sh arch"tects wo the *"rst &r"=e " ITERs #"oc!"mat"c homescom&et"t"o+

Geria wa!!s are used to &rotect $ra&e )"es *rom the su, ut"!"s"$ the atura! "su!at"$&ro&ert"es o* the ash+ owe)er, the mater"a! " costruct"o "s ow &roh"#"ted *rom #u"!d"$ use+ It"s easy to see why : "t crum#!es to the touch+

The "ter"or o* the s"$!e%story #u"!d"$ has woode *!oors, wa!!s ad s!atted s!"d"$ doors+ Thereare a"r )ets #etwee a!! the rooms ad !ar$e a"r cham#ers #eeath the *!oor ad a#o)e thece"!"$+

!oor%to%ce"!"$ $!a="$ o #oth the souther *rot s"de ad orther rear o* the house a!!ow*uture occu&ats to cotro! a"r*!ow ad re$u!ate tem&erature+

Th"s o&e )et"!at"o system swee&s hot a"r out o* the house wh"ch wou!d otherw"seaccumu!ate, r"se ad #ecome tra&&ed " the ce"!"$ s&aces+

The *rot o* the house has a s!atted )erada wh"ch shades "t *rom the oo%day su #ut a!!owsa"r to c"rcu!ate, wh"!e the she!tered rear &at"o "s des"$ed to stay coo! throu$hout the day+

The so!ar therma! &ae!s o the roo* heat water, wh"ch "s stored " a o!d%*ash"oed ta9 o theroo*+ I$ac"o e/&!a"s that " a co!d c!"mate the hot water ta9 wou!d #e &!aced uder the *!oor,where "t wou!d he!& heat the house #y co)ect"o+

The &ae!s cos"st o* a array o* )ert"ca! co&&er tu#es coect"$ hor"=ota! *eed ad dra"tu#es at the #ottom ad to&, #etwee two sheets o* $!ass+ ;et at the #est a$!e to catch the su,ad !ocated o the dry south coast o* Teer"*e : 2 de$rees orth o* the euator : each house

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eeds 3ust two or three suare metres o* these &ae!s+L"9e a!! the homes " the *ac"!"ty, La Geria "s coected to Teer"*es e!ectr"c"ty $r"d+ I$ac"o

e/&!a"s that th"s "s more e**"c"et, ecoom"ca! ad e)"rometa!!y%*r"ed!y tha try"$ to ma9ethem "de&edet o* other *orms o* &ower+

Each home wou!d eed s"/ to twe!)e !ar$e #atter"es to store e!ectr"c"ty o)er"$ht, ta9"$ u& aroom to themse!)es+ The #atter"es are e/&es")e ad &o!!ut"$ to &roduce ad d"s&ose o*+

I *act the homes $eerate more e!ectr"c"ty *or the $r"d tha they use, wh"ch ITER se!!s to

e!ectr"c"ty com&ay Ce!co Edesa+

'cross The RierThe e/t home that we )"s"t "s El Ro-The R")er. #y rech arch"tect More! (edr"c, so ca!!ed *or

the sha!!ow *!ow"$ water chae! wh"ch rus throu$h "ts h"$h cetra! !")"$ room%cum%&at"o, the$!a=ed s"des o* wh"ch ca #e o&eed out *or )et"!at"o o* shuttered *or shade+

The #edrooms ad #athrooms are du$ out o* a r"se " the $roud o oe s"de o* the house+I!!um"at"o comes *rom s9y!"$hts, !"$ht *"tt"$s w"th *")e%watt !ow%eer$y #u!#s ad wh"te%&a"tedwa!!s to ma/"m"se re*!ect"o+

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same " a #u"!t%u& areaIt "s d"**"cu!t to &!ace th"s techo!o$y o o!d #u"!d"$s+ Hou w"!! destroy the #eauty o* he #u"!d"$,

or "* ot you may a**ect the "*rastructure : $as, e!ectr"c"ty su&&!y+O!d #u"!d"$s ha)e o s&ace *or so!ar therma! "sta!!at"os+ The &"&es wou!d ha)e to ru

throu$h commua! areas+Fe adds that the techo!o$y "s e/&es")e, ad that &eo&!e are ot a!ways w"!!"$ to &ay e/tra+owe)er, &!a"$ re$u!at"os mea that ew #u"!d"$s " the (aar"es must #e ready to *"t

so!ar &ae!s+or those o* you who caot wa"t *or #"oc!"mat"c houses to #e #u"!t " your tow, ITER "s

&!a"$ to ret the 27 homes to tour"sts ad #us"ess tra)e!!ers+

Renewable Future