Norvento unveils its CIne building, one of the most advanced in the world in terms of self-generation and energy independence, powered entirely by renewable energies.

• The President of the Xunta de Galicia (Galicia regional government), Alberto Núñez Feijoo, and the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, took part in the public presentation of the building today.
  
• Norvento’s Energy Innovation Centre (CIne, by its Spanish acronym), in Lugo, is a zero-energy building that is entirely self-sufficient in energy from renewable sources and operates off-grid thanks to the integration of, among other things, a battery system for electricity storage.
  
• With over 4,000 m², this building is the result of decades of R&D&I by Norvento, and it is the best example of the technological solutions it offers to the market. Its technology and design allows it to avoid the emission of more than 160 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year. 

Lugo, 19^th March 2018.-  Norvento, a Spanish renewable technologies company, has publicly unveiled today its CIne building (Norvento’s Energy Innovation Centre), one of the most advanced in the world when it comes to self-generation and energy independence through renewable energies.

Situated in Lugo, this building is the HQ of the company, and has the capacity to host up to 200 workers. It is also its main wind farm operations and monitoring centre, and includes a laboratory for experimentation.The CIne building is a clear example of how Norvento’s technology can help the industrial sector to achieve full self-sufficiency and self-management of energy through renewables.

To make this project come to life, more than 6 years of work were necessary, from the design to the end of the construction, as well as a total investment by Norvento of €12M.

This building of more than 4000 m², whose architectural design has been the work of the renowned Navarrese architect Patxi Mangado, is the result of decades of R&D&I by Comp and is based on technology developed by the company itself. All of its energy needs —both electricity and heating/cooling— are obtained from various on-site renewable sources, allowing the building to operate autonomously, completely disconnected from the electricity and gas grids. This is made possible in part by the integration of batteries, which allow energy to be stored at times of high production for use when production drops.

Pablo Fernández Castro, President and founder of Norvento, highlights that “we want to send a message to the industrial and business sector as a whole: today it is already possible to change the way they obtain and manage their energy in favour of greater efficiency, savings and therefore greater competitiveness. In short, to move towards a real energy transition in our economies.”

The official presentation ceremony that took place today in Lugo was attended by Alberto Nez Feijoo, President of the Xunta de Galicia, and Miguel Arias Cañete, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy. They were accompanied by the President and founder of Norvento, Pablo Fernández Castro, and its Vice-President Marta Fernández Castro. The company is now entering a period of growth and expansion of its activity. With a turnover of 42 million euros in 2017, Norvento expects to increase this figure to 60% by 2020, for which it will deploy investments worth 150 million.

Combined renewable energy microgrid

To supply the CIne building with energy, the project design has combined an electrical microgrid with a thermal energy one, which allows the building to be even more energy efficient.

These grids, together with a complex energy storage system consisting of electric batteries and a thermal storage system, are monitored 24 hours a day. This is achieved thanks to an advanced control system that allows generation, storage, and consumption to be managed in real time, with the aim of optimising the use of the energy available from the sun and wind. To this end, the system considers the future availability of solar and wind resources, and also estimates the demand for electricity and heating/cooling in the building.

The microgrid combines wind power, photovoltaics, and a cogeneration unit using recycled vegetable oil. On average, 35% of the energy comes from wind, 60% from the sun, and 5% from vegetable oil.

For wind power production, the first unit of the new wind turbine nED100 has been installed in the CIne building. This turbine has the capacity to generate up to 400 MWh per year. This new version of the wind turbine designed by Norvento for industrial self-consumption has been optimised and improved to obtain a better performance in conditions of high and turbulent winds.

In addition, 165 kWp photovoltaic panels have been installed on the roof of the car park. The car park also has 5 charging points for electric cars that can be extended to 28 in the future, which will cover more than 90% of the energy needs of the company’s fleet.

Additionally, the thermal microgrid for air conditioning ( cooling/heating) includes an underfloor heating system powered by two geothermal heat pumps of 52 kWt each, supported by a cogeneration system capable of delivering up to 90 kWt. This co-generation system comes into operation only after long periods of low sun and wind. Heat and cooling recovery through a forced ventilation system with air recirculation, and other measures such as heat recovery in certain locations such as the company’s data centre, have also been taken into account. By developing these technologies, Norvento is now able to supply the market with commercial and industrial-scale microgrids at a cost of energy comparable to that of the grid.

Zero-energy building integrated with the environment

The CIne building has been conceived from its earliest stage of design to be a zero-energy building, aimed at promoting a new, more efficient and environmentally friendly energy model. The optimised orientation of the building, grey water reuse, thermal insulation and the use of natural light make it possible to save resources and avoid the emission of more than 160 tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere per year. The architectural design, the work of Patxi Mangado, also plays an important role in terms of energy efficiency. It combines aesthetics and functionality, prioritising open spaces, pure lines and flow between welcoming work environments to promote the comfort of the workers. In the same line of commitment to sustainability, the construction materials of the CIne building have also been chosen according to criteria of proximity and integration with the environment. For example, eucalyptus wood, a local species in Galicia, has been used for the cladding of the building, a development carried out with the CIS Madeira Technological Centre. The building has received exceptional BREEAM certification, one of the most prestigious architectural awards for highly efficient buildings, which only two new buildings in Spain have received.

About Norvento

Norventois a Spanish renewable technologies company with a comprehensive capacity for action. Based in Lugo (Galicia), the company is 100% Spanish-owned and has been operating in the market for more than 35 years. The activities of Norvento cover manufacturing technology, design, promotion, building, and operation of centralised generated renewable energy facilities (mainly wind farms), generation for distributed generation for industry, and ad hoc energy engineering solutions for customers.

With an active presence in five international markets (the United Kingdom, Brazil, the United States, Poland and Italy), Norvento currently has 120 MW in operation in Spain and a pipeline of more than 540MW in different stages of development.