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In
the past few years, the
Foundation for a Sustainable Texel has been involved in several projects
in the area of renewable energy:
Students
save more energy than local officers
(16
February 2006)
Students
of the local high school OSG De Hogeberg have won the bet with the mayor
of Texel. The students have saved more energy at home than the local
offices in the town hall.
Series
of lectures
A
series of lectures on various energy sources is being organized by the
Foundation to be held in the winter of 2005/2006. These lectures are a
continuation of the information gatherings held in the spring of 2005 on the Danish island of Samsø, rising sea-levels and climate change.
These
lectures will will take place on the following dates:
-
5 October 2005: Hydrogen
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2 November 2005: Biomass
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22 November 2005: Wind Energy
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23 January 2006: Solar Power
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13 February 2006: Forum discussions with representatives of political
parties in the run up to local elections.
Transition
in Agriculture
(14
December 2005)
In
cooperation with the ministry of VROM, a project has been set up to
investigate the flows of minerals and the possibilities for energy
production in agriculture on Texel.
Sustainable
School building
(18
November 2005)
Students
of the Texel high school De Hogeberg have studied the possibilities of
making a new, sustainable building for their school.
Solar
Power Information Boards
(7
September 2005)
At
the start of the school year, council member Heijne revealed a solar power
information board at the Thijsseschool. This was one of the fourteen
information boards erected this summer at schools and village halls.
"Water
Week" OSG De Hogeberg
As
part of the "Week of the Sea" (21st - 29th
May 2005) a Water Week has been held at the Texel high school (OSG De
Hogeberg). During this week groups of pupils will get acquainted with
various issues of water management such as pollution, drought and
salination. The Foundation's Energy Committee has assessed the pupils'
concluding presentations.
No
Sea too Deep - too High - for Texel?
During
the "Week of the Sea" (21st - 29th May
2005) "the Foundation - in co-operation with Texel Academy, Rotary
and Lions - has hosted a gathering on 23 May 2005 on climate change, the
rise of sea levels and the consequences for Texel. The speakers were Han Lindeboom of Alterra and Herman Ridderinkhof of the Royal
NIOZ.
Texel
Nominated for the NET-Trophy
Senter-Novem
awarded the first National
Energy Future Trophy in April 2005. Texel was one of the four remaining
nominees, surviving a number of qualifying rounds. Unfortunately Texel
missed out on 20 April 2005: Seinen Projectontwikkeling BV of Leeuwarden
was awarded the trophy. It was, however, noteworthy that Texel was the
only municipality that made it to the final round. All-in-all excellent
recognition for the efforts undertaken on the island!
Texel
on 100% sustainable energy? A
few years ago the council of Texel signaled their support for Texel to
generate sufficient renewable energy over time so as to become fully self-
supporting. Obviously this is far from simple to achieve. Currently,
the Foundation is investigating how other islands are approaching these
issues. In February 2005 Søren Hermansen of the Danish island of Samsø visited Texel to
share how Samsø is meeting this challenge.
Hydrogen
on the Wadden In
the autumn of 2004 a feasibility study was initiated on the use of hydrogen
on Texel. This initiative was kicked off by the council of Texel in
cooperation with ECN, Air
Products and the Foundation of a Sustainable Texel.
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A
lot of people want to get informed about the possibilities of making
energy out of biomass.
Info displays for solar
energy
Do you have a solar boiler or
PV panels, and do you often have guests or clients? You may well be interested in
obtaining an info display to inform your guests or clients.
Insulation campaign
The Foundation supports the
council of Texel’s insulation campaign. This
campaign allows all house owners (including those who own a holiday home on
Texel) to get a discount on an Energy Performance Advice (EPA).
Maldives Delegation visits
Texel
A delegation
of high ranking officials from the Maldives visited Texel on June 16,
2004. They were visiting
organizations in the Netherlands and France to gain a deeper understanding
in the areas of renewable energy and energy conservation. The Foundation showed
the delegation a number of projects underway on Texel. The delegation was
shown how the Foundation's approach on energy saving moves beyond the
strictly technical aspects and how our focus lies on an integrated approach,
also incorporating projects in sustainable building and sustainable
business.
School project
In the fall of 2003, all of
the classes in the high school on Texel (OSG De Hogeberg) participated in
an energy project. The objective of the project was for the pupils and
teachers to save energy in order to cut down on CO2-emissions .
One of the aspects of this
project was that the Province of Noord-Holland undertook to optimize the
school's central heating with a technique to save more energy. Currently one of the two installations has been
optimized with a projected saving of 10-15%.
Energy plan 2030
Following
up on the Renewable Energy Scan undertaken by Texel, the Foundation had
Ecofys draw up a Renewable Energy Plan 2030.
This
plan takes a view on the energy requirements for Texel in 2030 (split up
into various sectors) and compares these requirements with Texel's renewable energy
potential. Subsequently, a plan was devised on the implementation of
renewable energy so that locally generated renewable
energy can fulfill all of Texel's requirements by 2030.
Renewable Energy Scan
At the behest of the
Foundation, the council of Texel
commissioned Ecofys to perform a Renewable Energy Scan in 2000. This
report contains an overview of the technical potential for renewable
energy on Texel.
Further
information on this
report ( in Dutch) can be obtained by contacting Mr. R. Struick at the
council, phone: +31 222-362 189 or by e-mail.
Bio-fermentation
Michiel Tolsma of the
Technical University of Delft researched in 2000 the technical and
financial feasibility of fermenting organic refuse on Texel. One of the
advantages is that there would no longer be a need to transport organic refuse to
Alkmaar - or even further - by HGV's. Further, the bio-gas produced from
fermentation would be injected to the existing natural gas network.
The report concludes that the plans
are technically and financially feasible. The council
of Texel has had the feasibility of the plan firmed up and
discussions to implement the plan are currently underway with the household refuse station in Alkmaar.
Related
achievements
Partly due to the
initiatives of the Foundation, more and more organizations and individuals
are taking action in the area of renewable energy. The council of Texel is active in
promoting solar energy and performing Energy Performance
Advices. Various businesses and individuals are currently actively
reducing their energy consumption by applying energy conservation measures
or using renewable energy, some of it self-generated. One example is
Camping De Shelter, which has recently installed a pump utilizing the
earth's warmth at depth.
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