dstgroup integrates living laboratory for decarbonization – “Afurada ll”
avoiding more than 13 tons of CO2 emissions
The pilot project involved electric bicycles, energy systems and plastic reuse
The consortium that includes dstgroup, through its companies dstsolar, innovation point and MOSAIC (group innovation hub for smart cities – sustainable cities of the future), launched the ‘Afurada LL’ project, which arises from the urgency of reducing the carbon footprint, having achieved the objective of saving more than 13 tons of carbon dioxide.
This project has four official vertical axes and one horizontal axis: circular economy, mobility, energy, buildings and the human capital axis.
It includes a Living Laboratory for Decarbonization and Mitigation of Climate Change, based on experimentation with technological, mobility, energy and building solutions, including citizens in the process and in promoting the arts.
In an integrated manner, dstgroup delivered a turnkey solution for the implementation of the ‘Afurada LL’ Renewable Energy Community, with the installation of Production Units for Self-Consumption, storage systems and a cloud platform that manages the entire community energy, based on artificial intelligence.
The positive impact on the more than 1000 inhabitants of Afurada translates into the population’s awareness of energy literacy and the urgency of changing behaviour, in an initiative that allowed the generation of energy responsible for 44% of buildings’ self-consumption, in a total of 27.4 MWh.
The decarbonization solutions successfully tested in Afurada could be applied to other parishes in Vila Nova de Gaia, but also nationally and internationally.
dstgroup also collaborated in the implementation of activities aimed at promoting energy literacy and environmental awareness, to connect the community to the project, transmitting knowledge and a sense of belonging.
“This project demonstrates that dstgroup is building future-proof cities. The challenge was great and we aimed for the moon. Today, Afurada and Vila Nova de Gaia are already in a future where sustainability, technology and art converge and it is good to be an integral part of this success”, said Raul Junqueiro, Head Of SmartCities & Business Development at dstgroup.
The Afurada Living Lab materializes a partnership between the CEDES Association, the municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia, GAIURB, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology of Trondheim, dstsolar, innovationpoint, Watt Is, UBIWHERE and CEiiA.
It was implemented with the support of the EEA Grants Environment, Climate Change and Low Carbon Economy program, a financial mechanism through which Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway finance EU member states with the largest deviations from the European average GDP per capita.
It should also be noted that a work of art, called “Soap”, was installed by MURO ATELIER, which, through the reintroduction of disused objects, gave them a new value, in this case artistic, challenging the idea of ephemerality in the city, reusing materials and revitalizing spaces.
The main purpose of the group led by José Teixeira is to bring students closer to the real work context and the company’s culture and to enrich the participants on a personal and professional level.
