Caves were our first home but, have we stopped to think about how our ancestors felt in the cold mornings of winter? And in hot summer days? We may be surprised…
Humanity had had multiple and different homes. From the tipis of the american indians to the skyscrapers that flood nowadays the city of New York. Currently, buildings represents 40% of the energy consume and 36% of the greenhouse effects. Much of them, moreover, are from the 70s. Definetly, we need a change if we want to mitigate the climate change.
In the Palaeolithic, the first dwellings, in the form of huts made of animal skins and logs, protected our ancestors from the cold and wind. During the Neolithic period, the construction of villages with adobe houses provided our ancient inhabitants with habitable conditions. And all this without consuming a single kilowatt hour and using the resources that nature offered them to obtain certain conditions of comfort.
If we look at the evolution of buildings throughout history, we can see that adobe houses gave way to the dwellings of ancient Egypt, which were made of straw and wood. Ancient Rome introduced concrete and stone, as well as technologies such as the round arch, the arcade, the vault and the doem. Leaping forward to the Renaissance, this era marked an architectural breakthrough, including materials such as marble, stucco and tiles. Until the evolution towards the brick that makes up the majority of existing buildings. But despite the evolution in the use of materials… are we really improving our comfort conditions and the energy efficiency of buildings?
The answer today is that we need more efficient and smarter buildings, but what is stopping us froom changing the way we use buildings? Platón, in his myth of the cave, tells us that it is a lack of knowledge that hides reality from us. Extrapolated to the present day, the lack of useful and valuable information limits us when it comes to making more objective decisions, based on knowledge and reducing subjectivity.
To answer the question of how we improve the knowledge of buildings, the concept of intelligent buildings comes into play. According to the European Commission, an intelligent building is one that is connected, is able to interact with the systems around it, including users, and can be managed remotely. In other words, it has to behave interactively both with the building´ s energy sytems and with other buildings and even the users themselves. Furthermore, it changes its behaviour from reactive to pro-active to make efficient and effective use of its own resources.
The main enablers of smart buildings are new technologies. Firstly, the IoT (Internet of Things) which, in a nutshell, is defined as the connectivity through the Internet of common elements such as household appliances, cars, mobile phones, etc. It is this technology that makes it possible to turn a traditional building into a connected building, capable of providing data thanks to IoT sensors. Secondly, Artificial Intelligence, which uses data to extract knowledge; the same knwoeldge that, following Platon´ s myth, will guide us out of the cave. Artificial Intelligence is a technique capable of learning from data, extracting patterns of behaviour and predicting future situations. In this way, it is able to anticipate events and enable the building to act proactively. In other words, it is bringing human reasoning to buildings, but making decisions based on objective information.
At CARTIF, we have been working for years in the line of research for the transformation of current buildings into samrter, more comfortable and environmentally friendly buildings. Projects such as BRESAER are a clear example of this transformation. In this project, a decision-making system based on Artificial Intelligence has been developed. This solution allows the building to determine one hour in advance the energy needs to meet the comfrot conditions and to choose the available sources to heat or cool the building.
All this without forgetting that buildings are for us and, therefore, users must be the protagonists. Consumers must be better informed about the behaviour of the building, just as the building must adapt to the preferences of the inhabitant. For example, smart thermostats that learn our habits to ensure a comfortable temperature without the need to configure it. Or even detecting when we leave to switch off and stop consuming gas or electricity, which makes even more sense with today´ s prices. The example of this technology is part if the COMFOStat project.
In conclusion, smart buildings represent the perfect solution that combines today´ s better living conditions with the reduced gas emissions of old. Data and Artificial Intelligence generate the necessary knowledge that will have guided us out of the cave. If you still can´ t find your way, our door is always open to help you.
There is only one good: knowledge. There is only one evil: ignorance.
It is undeniable that the coming decades will be crucial for both the society and the Earth´ s environmental health, so it will be determined if our Planet is able or not to support all the world population. Nowadays, it seems that the situation is more than complicated, and it is becoming worse day by day.
Taking into account this situation, the creation of new policies focused on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is more than needed, fizing a set of clear objectives from now to 2050. In this sense, the main objective of the Estrategia de Descarbonización a Largo Plazo (ELP 2050) created by the Spanish Government calls for a 905 reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in relation to 1990, considering that the other 10% will be absorbed by carbon sinks.
Sustainable mobility plays a very important role within all the objectives defined in the aforementiones ELP 2050, so it will be essential to work together to try to change the way we move (specially travelling to and from work). Encouraging the use of electric vehicles and alternative means of transport will be key of achieving a much more sustainable mobility, and it will be also necessary to inform the citizens (e.g. the employees) using the proper information and reasons to do so.
The number of transit journeys on working days surpassed 123 million in 2007, according to the Mobility Survey of the People Resident in Spain of Movilia. Approximately 83% of the Spanish population carries out at least one journey each working day and more than a 16% of these journeys were to go to the workplace. Considering the aforementiones data coming from Movilia (please, note that Movilia does not consider the latests crisis and COVID19 effects due tot he fact that the study was done before), the number ofin itinere transit journeys in 2006-07 was around 37 million out of a total of 123 million (so, around a third), and around a 63% of these in itinere transit journeys were made by private vehicle as indicated in the E-Cosmos project.
As it has been detailed before, in Spain, the labor mobility has a very important influence on collective mobility, according to data from the Observatory of Logistic and Transport in Spain, having a big environmental, social and economic impact specially when those journeys are done by private vehicle.
Additionally, using the private vehicle to go to work is a very important health hazard. In Spain, traffic accidents have become the primary cause of death for accidents at work (around an 11,6% of the accidents at work were related toin itinere traffic accidents according to the Job, Migrations and Social Security Ministery, Spain Government. The amount of sleep time loss to try to avoid traffic jams, the stress caused by driving in peak hours or by being thinking and thinking about being late increases a lot the risk of traffic accident.
To solve these issues, a very good collaboration between companies, public entities and mobility providers (among others) is extremely needed. The establishment of frameworks of collaboration between the aforementioned entities will make possible the creation of real and effective employee´ s sustainable mobility plans taking into account employee´ s needs. These sustainable mobility plans will lead to real and fruitful interventions focused on reducing the amount of in itinere transit journeys done by private car.
Given the great need of encouraging sustainable mobility, from CARTIF we are collaborating with multiple entities with the main aim of developing real sustainable mobility plans. In this sense, we are working with some enterprises (and with all the involved stakeholders) in order to make more sustainable the in itinere transit journeys of their employees.
It is responsibility of everyone to try to take the leap and to actively contribute to Planet decarbonization, so… let´ s fight all together to make an effort to not continue damaging our planet in order to let the new generations to develop themselves in the same (or better) conditions than us.
CARTIF has the know-how to accompany the institutions in thei path to contribute to pur planet decarbonization, and not only concerning sustainable mobility plans, but also in a lot of other actiones that can be carried out in this sense. It´ s now or never.
Climate change is an increasingly visible reality on our planet, affecting millions of people around the world. These changes in climate are clearly recognizable by the increase in temperatures, the decrease in water resources, the sea level rise or the increasingly irregular and torrential precipitation events. The consequences, effects and impacts of these changes in the weather are becoming more frequent and relevant every day, inducing damages of great magnitude and generating a displacement of the population by making the areas in which they lived uninhabitable, with examples such as extreme droughts, floods or desertification. In our day to day, we can see how these changes in the climate manifest themselves. A clear example is the winter that has just started with softer than normal average temperatures and unusual high maximum temperatures for the period of the year.
In this context of climate change, the thermometer continues to break records of increase and it is estimated that in Spain the average temperatures are increasing around 0.3ºC per decade, which gives us an idea of the high rate o warming to whom our country is being subjected and the planet in general. In addition, it must be taken into account that although we manage to reduce the emissions that generate climate change by trying to avoid the consequences it produces, the change trends reflected in the climate variables will continue in the coming decades due to the inertia of the climate system. Faced with such a negative outlok, it is necessary to ask ourselves the following question: how can we contribute to mitigate and reduce the impacts of climate change or adapt to them by generating more resilient territories?
To help us in this fight, mitigation and adaptation strategies are of huge relevance. Mitigation strategies seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, which are ultimately the food of anthropogenic climate change. For their part, adaptation strategies seek to limit the risks derived from climate change, reducing our vulnerabilities. Both strategies are complementary in such a way that, if we do not take mitigation into account, the capacity for adaptation can easily be overwhelmed and developing an adaptation that is not low in emissions is meaningless.
But, what can we do as citizens? We can contribute with small measures such as recycling, the use of public transport or bikes, local commerce that minimizes transport, ecological and sustainable products, all of them helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, adaptation requires great responses that generally must be promoted by the public administrations or organizations that are in charge of land management. Therefore, we must not overlook that the fight against climate change must be an effort of all (citizens, administrations, companies,etc.) integrating as many agents as possible and covering a multisectorial and systemic approach that not lose the social perspective of the problem.
Under this climate change perspective and to promote adaptation, the European Union has launched the Climate Change Adaptation Mission that aims to promote and support the transition towards resilience in Europe at the individual level, cities and regions, both in the private and public sectors as economy, energy, society, etc. Its main objective is to support at least 150 European regions and communities towards climate resilience by 2030. To this end, the mission will help regions and communities to better understand, prepare for and manage their climate risks, seek opportunties, as well as facilitate the implementation of innovative and resilient solutions providing information on the different additional sources of investment.
In a complementary way and to respond to the adaptation needs generated by changes in the climate, it is necessary to provide the entities with a common framework that guarantees a homogeneity of criteria in the conception of climate change. In this sense, the public action against climate change in Spain is coordinated and organized through the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (PNACC), which establishes the framework of reference and national coordination for impact assessment initiatives and activities, vulnerability and adaptation. Its main objective is to avoid or reduce present and future damages derived and to build a more resilient economy and society.
This plan that covers the needs at national level establishing the starting point for the development of more detailed strategies at regional or municipal level helping the territories in the acievement of their objectives through the implementation of priority lines of action against the impacts caused by climate change. As a starting point for any adaptation strategy, it is necessary to know in detail how the current and future climate variables (temperature, precipitation, wind, etc.) will be like in order to be able to assess the vulnerability of our territory and promote measures that make it more resilient to climate impacts. As a starting point, the AdapteCCa climate scenario viewer developed by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAMA) in coordination with the Spanish Office for Climate Change (OECC) and the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET) together with the IPCC Interactive Atlas, provide us with relevant data to understand the future climate through different climate projections. All the information they collect allows to obtain an idea of the magnitude of the changes in the future climate to establish the baseline for the evaluation of vulnerability and risk, as well as for the definition of measures for each priority sector identified in each territory. Finally, the implementation of the identified and selected measures must be associated with a monitoring and a follow-up system that enables the achievement of the proposed adaptation objectives to be evaluated.
At CARTIF, we work to help the different public administrations in the development of adaptation plans and strategies in the face of climate change. We must highlight the projects in which we recently work together with GEOCYL Conultoría S.L. in the development of adaptation strategies to climate change for the municipality of Valladolid (EACC_Val project) and the region of Extremadura (EACC_Extremadura project), respectively.
In addition, the RethinkAction project, coordinated by CARTIF will allow us to advance over the effects generated by adaptation and mitigation measures through the development of integrated assessment models that allow the evaluation before implementation of measures in relevant climatic regions of Europe.
The energy sector is undergoing a deep transformation to respond to the need to combat climate change and thus contribute to the sustainability of life onour planet. This is being articulated through the so-called “Energy Transition”, which involves two big transformations in the electricity grid. On the one hand, traditional centralised generation is being replaced by an increasing number of distributed renewable generation plants located closer to the final consumer. In addition, the number of “self-consumers”, i.e. consumers capable of producing renewable energy, mainly photovoltaic, for their own use, is increasing. Secondly, we are witnessing a growth in the demand for electricity, with new needs such as electric vehicles and the air-conditioning of buildings.
All this results ingreater complexity of the electricity grid, especially the distribution grid, but also the transmision grid, because the flow of electricity is no longer unidirectional, but bidirectional. A more flexible management system is essential to make the transmission and distribution of electricity more efficient. Grid operators also need new technologies and tools to ensure a reliable and high quality service. These changes, which are already part of the present, are made possible by the evolution of traditional electricity grids towards smart grids.
The smart grid concept refers to a new feature of the electricity grid: in addition to transporting energy, it also transports data. To achieve this, digital technologies are needed to facilitate two-way communication between the user and the grid, IT and home automation tools to manage demand flexibility and distributed generation and storage resources, as well as the necessary technology and equipment capable of responding to volatile renewable generation.
One of the threats to guaranteeing an adequate and quality supply to the different players in the medium and low voltage network is faults. It is necessary to have the necessary means to locate them quicklly, givinig continuity of supply after a reconfiguration of the network, provided that this is useful to alleviate the effects of the fault, in the shortest possible time.
There are two indices for measuring the quality of supply in an electricity system: SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index) and SAIFI (System Average Interruption Frequency Index). The SAIFI index takes into account the number of unavailabilities per user, while the SAIDI index takes into account the cumulative time of unavailability. These unavailabilities are generated as a result of various types of faults, the most frequent of which are earth and phase faults, the former being the most frequent.
When an earth fault occurs in a medium-voltage distribution network, the circuit breaker of one of the outlets of the high-voltage to medium-voltage transformer station shall trip by menas of the earth fault protection.
Subsequently, and in order to rule out that the fault is transient, the reclosing function shall operate, closing the circuit breaker. If the fault persists, tripping shall be repeated until the number of reclosings provided has been exhausted. If the fault is permanent, the affected part of the network will be out of service and it will be necessary to locate the fault and reconfigure the network in order to continue providing service to as many users as possible.
Traditionally, follwing the detection of a permanent fault by the telecontrol equipment, it is possible to carry out a remote reconfiguration operation from the control centre. This operation is carried out by an operator, following a defined protocol,and can take several minutes at best.
A modern, automated network will allow this protocol to be carried out without operator intervention, automatically between the telecontrol equipment. This network feature is known as self-healing, and allows the network to reconfigureitself autonomously in the event of a permanent fault, without the manual intervention of the control center. This significantly speeds up the time it takes to restore the power supply.
CARTIF has developed, within the framework of the INTERPRETER project (H2020, GA#864360), an assistance tool aimed at medium and low voltage grid operators. This tool, known as GCOSH-TOOL, helps to evaluate different scenarios by applying diferrent action protocols in the event of the appereance of one or more faults in the network. Its operation is based on proposing a seqeunce of optimisation problems with different constraints and objective functions, which allows the power to be delivered to each customer to be calculated, ensuring that the demand is met. To do this, a reconfiguration of the grid will be necessary to ensure electricity supply to the largest possible number of users in the scenario chosen by the operator based on technical and economic objectives.
The smart grids of the future will be more flexible and reliable than traditonal grids and will provide a higher quality of electricity supply to users. They will be connected in real time, receiving and providing information that will allow them to optimise their own electricity consumption and improve the operation of the overall system (active demand management). On the other hand, the trend towards distributed generation from renewable sources leads to a structure in the form of interconnected microgrids that will have the capacity to automatically reconfigure themselves in the event of any breakdown. The rapid evolution of technology is allowing these changes to take place very quickly, so that the so-called energy transition is becoming a reality, and we already have the infrastructure in place to reduce CO2 emissions, thus helping to curb climate change.
Cogeneration refers to the simultaneous production of electricity and heat, our two main basic energetic needs. The benefits of these technologies are multiple:
It´ s 40% more efficient than producing electricity and heat separately.
Together with these energetic save, the CO2 emissions and the generation costs are lower.
It can take advantage of renewable sources such as biomass and biogas.
It improves system security bu generating the requried amount of electricity and heat and absorbing the implied variability of renewable generation from wind and solar.
The transport and distribution costs are reduced, generally the energy it´ s consume at the same place where it is produce.
In addition to the fact that cogeneration has as an objective covering the propper energy needs , we can see that, according to the Report of the Spanish Electric System elaborated by The Spanish Electricity Grid corresponding to 2019, it is able to cover almost an 12% of the spanish demand with just a 5% of the participation in the national installed power. At a european level, the cogeneration provides an 11% of the electricity consume and a 15% of the heat.
Also the European Commision recognise the need of the presence of the cogeneration in the energy system, mentioning in the Energy Efficiency Directive that “cogeneration of high efficiency has a significative potential for saving primary energy in the Union” and the need that “the member states promote the introduction of measures and procedures to promote the installations of cogeneration with a total nominal thermic power under 5mw with the aim of promtoing the generation of distributed energy”.
Even taking into account all the benefits mentioned, we can only find these type of technolgies in industrial areas or big buildings of the terciary sector. Due to that, an area with a high potential is the development of micro-cogeneration, that is to say, low power cogeneration systems (under 50kW) that generate the heat and the electricity needed for covering the energy needs of residential buildings. This aspect is key both for the development of the local energy communities in which the figure of the passive consumer is blurred and for the consecution of one of the big environmental objectives, the climate neutrality.
Inside the nowadays cogeneration systems, we can find two big groups:
Conventional internal combustion engines coupled to an electric generator and from which heat is recovered from the exhaust gases and cooling systems. They usually operate usinig natural gas or diesel as fuel, reaching overall efficiencies of 80-90%.
Microturbine systems consisting of an open cycle gas turbine in which air is drawn in from the atmosphere, compressed by a rotary compressor and fed into the combustion chamber and then used for expansion in a turbine. The electric energy it is obtaines from an alternator, meanwhile the heat it´ s recover from the scape gases. They reach overall yields among the 90%. The fundamental difference compared with the previous ones is that turbines are designed for function in a stationary regime, meanwhile engines allow a wider regulation. Also, the temperature of the scape gases of the turbines is higher, being normally around 300-400ºC. The fuel mostyl used is natural gas, but in this case is possible using other more sustainable such as biogas.
As we have seen, most of nowadays systems used fossil fuels, what it is not adequate according to the environmental commitments adquired. In 2018 just the 4% of the energy generated through cogeneration proceed from renewable sources such as biofuels and residues (The energy in Spain 2018, MITECO)
Fortunately, exists technologies both in the market and in the development phase focused on covering needs. In first place, we can call the technology of hybrid photovoltaic generation, able of generate both electricity and hot water of low temperature (60-70ºC) usable in building air-conditioning systems. The infrastructure need for the installation of these collectors is not very different from that used in the usual installation of photovoltaic panels, including the necessary piping for the water inlet and outlet.
Another technology that is experiencing great growth due to its strategic nature is the hydrogen or fuel cell. This system take advantage of electrochemistry processes to transform a fuel, the hydrogen, and a oxidising agent, the oxigen in the air, in a electric current and heat. The particularity of hydrogen as fuel is that present a huge energy density, it can move through ducts similar to natural gas (although under special conditions) and it could be generated from the electrolysis of water usin renewable energy sources.
Source: https://www.cnh2.es/pilas-de-combustible/
Of course, the technology mention could be combined with other for multiplying their possibilities: heat pumps both powered by the electricity generated and using the heat generated to increase their performance, hybridisation together with storage systems that allow for intelligent management, etc.
CARTIF participate in several projects that integrate cogeneration systems in residential environments:
SUNHORIZON: has as an objective showing that the propper combination of technologies such as solar panels (photovoltaic, hybrid, thermal) and heat pumps (thermal compressor, adsorption, reversible) manage with a controller with predictive capacities allow saving energy, maximize the use of renewables, increase the self-consumption, reduce the energy bill and reduce the CO2 emissions.
REGENBy2: we contribute to the development of a new integrated energy plant, able of convert any type of thermal source of renewable energy, of low or high temperature, in electricity, heating and/or cooling simultaneously.
HysGRID+: its objective is to promote the cooperation of spanish technology centres with a high level of complementarity with the aim of research and develop new technological solutions that enable the creation of local energy communities (LEC) with a positive net balance of high efficiency and based in hybrid systems of renewable generation and storage. In the context of this project, CARTIF, has been able of installing two test benches: one for testing heat pumps of up to 100kW thermal, and other for characterize the behaviour of hybrid PVT solar panels.
H24NewAge: we develop advance technologies throughout all the hydrogen value chain for finally create a infrastrcutures network for giving service to the companies and as a demonstration of the develop hydrogen technologies. The final aim is that the project became a reference for the spanish business network facilitating a transfer of bidirectional and adaptable knowledge. Other action is the research into the application of fuel cells in residential microgeneration.
The road transport is the main source of particles emissions in the urban environment and one of the most importantat at a global level. Consciouss of the gravity of the problem , the European Union established limits, each time more restrictive, for the scape emissions of the internal combustion motors in new vehicles, through the european regulation about emissions (EURO regulation), that vehicles manufacturers are so afraid of. This regulation focused in the vehicles, and other aimed to the control the emissions produced in the industry and in the thermal power plants of electric generation, have made possible that the concentration of particles in urban environments have being reduced in a notorious way in the last 15 years. It is fair to say, that part of those reduction has also been due to the increase use of the renewable energies, as for example the eolic, photovoltaic or thermal-solar energy. Biomass, on the other hand, eventhough it is a renewable energy source with a near-zero carbon footprint, contributes to the emission of particles due to the combustion process that allows its energetic exploitation. At last, nuclear energy, that in the next weeks it will start to be cosnider “green energy” by the European Commission, it could contribute in an efficient way not only to the reduction of the CO2 emissions, but also to the particle emissions.
Enethough, as it is said, the actual situation is better than the one 15 years before, it is not less true that with relative frequency particles concentration limits estalished by the World Health Organisation (10 μg/m3 for particles <2.5 μm) are overcome in much european urban cores.
How are nanoparticles classified and which are their associated risks?
The atmospheric particles, independently of their natural or antropogenic origin, are classified in thick particles PM10 (2.5-10 μm), thin PM2.5 (0.1-2.5 μm) and ultrathin PM0,1 (<0.1μm). According to the WHO, the thick particles PM10 can penetrate and lodge deeply into the lungs, meanwhile the thin particles PM2.5 assume a higher risk, they can cross the pulmonary barrier and enter into the blood system. The ultrathin particles PM0.1 are able of penetrating vital organs such as the liver or the brain, causing inflamatory and oxidative processes, with still unknown effects.
Numerous scientific studies carried out in the last two decades relation the short-time effects of the particles concentration increase with increase in the daily mortality and hospital admissions. Other studies advise about the high content of Polyciclic Aromatic Hydrocarbours (PAHs) that are found bonded to the particles fraction PM2.5 provenient from the combustion processes. At least 13 of the compounds that formed the family of the PAHs have been recognised as carcinogens by the WHO. This same organisation said that, in addition to cancer, the fraction of 2.5 particles caused cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses being the cause of 400,000 premature deaths only in Europe.
Source: https://www.elnorte.com
What are Non-Exhaust Emissions (NEE) and what is their contribution to road transport emissions?
Once introduced the problematic produced by the particle emissions, as well as their sources, we will focused in the NEE particles, that is to say, those emited by vehicles but that are non-provenient from the gas scape. These particles are originated throguh the wear and tear produced by the friction between pillows and brake discs, and between the wheels and the road surface.
In contrast to what happens with the emissions of particles in the scape gases, knowadays it doesn´ t exist any law that limits the emission of NEE particles, in fact, most part of the society isn´ t even consciouss of their existence.
But, the contribution of the NEE particles is representative if we comparewith the one of the scape gases?
Surprising as it may seem, the contribution of NEE particles it´ s not only representative, but since some years ago it is clearly superior. Data published by the Inventory of National Atmospheric Emissions of United Kingdom reveal that meanwhile the scape particles have been reduce in a notorious way in the last years, NEE particles has increase and are expected to continue to do so in the future. The source mentioned before states that, from the rimary particles emited by trnsport by road, the 605 of the PM2.5 and the 73% of the PM10 were due to NEE particles (measures carried out in United Kindom during 2016). Those percentages continue increasing as the scape emissions decrease, as it represents the graphic elaborated by the NAEI.
Source: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk
And what happens with the zero emissions vehicles?
The pollution by particles is specially problematic in the urban environments, therefore it is consider that electromobility can help decisively to fight the problem. However, due to the height of batteries, these vehicles have a notorious mass superior to the one of a equivalent car with a motor of interior combustion, which implies larger NEE particles emissions due to the wear and tearof the wheels and of the surface of the road. These larger emissions are somehow compensate by the smaller emissions produced by the dual regenerative/mechanical braking system for electric and hybrid vehicles. At present the net balance between the reduction of braking particles and the inrease of particles produced by the road and wheels of electric vehicles it is not quantified, but what is clear, is that these vehicles produced a level of NEE particles emissions, at least of the same order of magnitudeas the one of conventional cars.
Therefore, the label of “zero emissions” is in a way, if not in its entirety, misleading for the consumer. Evenmore if it is take in count that the 40% of electric energy generated in Spain in 2019, came from thermal power plants.
CARTIF research to reduce the emissions of NEE particles
CARTIF, consciouss of the problem of these particle emissions, has participated in a project proposal of the european programme Horizon Europe focused on study the magnitude, causes, efects of the emissions of NEE particles, as of develop solutions that avoid, or at least reduce, the emissions of them. Those proposal is focused on fleets of delivery vehicles and public transport vehicles such as buses and subways, taking place part of the field tests in the city of Valladolid. If such a project is finally financed by the European Commission, CARTIF will devote its best efforts to the search of solutions that allow reducing the emissions of NEE particles, a problem which detrimental effects are well known, despite being ignored by the majority of the society.
