The former Palace of the Counts of Sortelha, dating back to the 15th century and now home to the Évora City Council, received a new roof made up of around 3,350 energy-generating photovoltaic solar tiles, as part of the European project POCITYF – Positive Energy CITY Transformation Framework, led by EDP, which aims to promote the transformation of historic cities into smart and sustainable urban centers, with a global budget of 22.5 million euros.
According to the municipality, this is the first of a group of buildings in the Historic Center of Évora to be equipped with solar energy capture systems, adapted to the specific characteristics of a protected historical heritage.
The installation, completed in the first half of 2024, transformed the building into a solar plant with a capacity of 25 kilowatts-peak, generating 43 megawatt-hours per year for self-consumption, according to Jornal de Negócios.
Tiles made with recyclable resin
The new tiles, made from recyclable resin that imitates red clay, were developed by the Italian company Dyaqua and manufactured in Vicenza, Italy. They resemble those used on the roofs that characterize the Historic Center of Évora, explains the Chamber, as they maintain the terracotta color and traditional shape.
These are tiles made up of material that allows light to pass through, with the photovoltaic cells located inside the modules, outside the field of visibility from the outside of the buildings.
This is an innovative product equipped with advanced technology which, after successful initial tests, was concluded to be the most suitable for Évora's roofs.
In addition to the tiles, the Palace's new roof includes a skylight with photovoltaic glass, which also generates energy.
Évora is the third historic European city to test this solar tile technology, after Pompeii, in Italy, and Slip, in Croatia, implemented the same innovative solution.
EDP is monitoring the production capacity of this pilot project, with results expected over the course of a year.
In the same way and with the same objective, the old acrylic sheets that made up the skylight are now replaced by photovoltaic glass in a total area of 169m2.
This will be complemented by a system of sliding interior screens, on part of the roof, in order to achieve adequate performance that guarantees comfortable and adequate thermal, acoustic and lighting conditions. The electrical wiring for the rows will be installed inside the frame in its own channel, meaning it will not be visible.
Lighting and equipment at workplaces with clean energy
The electricity produced, in a clean way, through this solar energy capture system, will make it possible to satisfy part of the building's electrical energy consumption, whether for lighting or for work station equipment. In times of surplus electrical production, energy will be injected into the grid.
The installation of this system falls within the scope of POCITYF – Positive Energy Blocks, a European smart cities and communities project, which will transform urban areas of historic cities and offer access to clean and cheaper energy for their inhabitants. It is expected to last 60 months and has a general budget of 22.5 million euros, in a consortium formed by 46 entities from 13 countries and is being led by EDP.
EDP NEW R&D | Labelec coordinated the project to make “cities cheaper, cleaner and more reliable”
In October 2019, the city of Évora hosted the kick-off meeting of the POCITYF project, with the participation of the 46 institutions in the consortium. The main objective of the meeting was to present the project structure, as well as the identification and characterization of the next steps.
EDP NEW R&D | Labelec, project coordinator, was responsible for organizing this event, which took place at the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation.
The project, co-financed by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 Programme, has the primary objective of creating a set of Positive Energy Blocks – geographically delimited areas with local renewable production greater than consumption – in pilot cities and respective follower cities, with the aim of The main challenge is implementing solutions in order to preserve the cultural heritage of these cities.
POCITYF aims to make these cities cheaper, cleaner and more reliable, using disruptive concepts such as the creation of a local energy market and the use of second-life batteries.
Source: EDP / Évora City Council / Jornal de Negócios
Photos: Évora City Council
