The Patagonia Natural Foundation carries out various projects for the implementation and use of renewable energy and the proper management of organic waste, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by the burning of fossil fuels and the decomposition of organic waste; and to avoid the cutting of native vegetation for use as firewood.
Solar water heaters
Installation of solar water heaters in various institutions.
In recent years, solar water heaters have been installed in educational institutions and protected areas. Some of them are:
• Escuela Agrotécnica Nº733 de Bryn Gwyn, Gaiman, Chubut (3 calefones solares).
• Escuela Hogar Nº 69 “Lorenzo Llanqueleo”, Sierra Paileman, Rio Negro.
• Centro de recuperación del cóndor andino (Base de Campo PCCA Sierra Paileman). Proyecto de Conservación Cóndor Andino, Rio Negro.
• Colegio Nº 727, Cholila, Chubut.
• Colegio 721 “Caleta Horno” de la localidad de Camarones. Chubut.
• Escuela Nº 95 de la localidad de Telsen. Chubut.
• Escuela Nº 60, Ranquil Huao (Cushamen), Chubut.
• Colegio Nº 117 “Manuel Millaguala”, Lago Rosario, Chubut.
• Refugio de flora y fauna “La Esperanza”, a unos 75 Km. al norte de Puerto Madryn, Chubut.
• Área Natural Protegida Piedra Parada, Chubut.
• Escuela Técnica Nº781 Don Eladio Zamarreño de la Localidad de Dolavon. Chubut.
• Escuela Nº 139 Valle de Inmigrantes, Localidad de 28 de Julio. Chubut.
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Biodigester
It is a hermetically sealed container into which organic material such as excrement and plant waste is deposited.
Organic materials are fermented with a certain amount of water, producing methane gas and organic fertilizers rich in phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen.
This system can also include a loading and leveling chamber for waste water before the reactor, a device to capture and store biogas, and hydropressure and post-treatment chambers (filter and stones, algae, drying, among others) at the reactor outlet. The biodigestion process occurs because there is a group of anaerobic bacterial microorganisms in the excrement that,
when acting on the organic material, produce a mixture of gases (with a high methane content) which is called biogas. Biogas is an excellent fuel and the result of this process generates certain residues with a high concentration of nutrients which can be used as fertilizer and can be used fresh, since the anaerobic treatment eliminates bad odors.
Solar water heaters
They are used to heat water and heat rooms.
Algunos equipos vienen con una serpentina y con un tanque externo de acero inoxidable e interno de acero inoxidable con tubos de vacío.
They work in a similar way to a conventional water heater. The water is heated on demand. Inside the accumulator tank there is a coil
copper through which water circulates at mains pressure, heating up instantly. It is ideal for when there is a high consumption of hot water.
Renewable energy for Peninsula Valdés and its buffer zone
The project aimed to install renewable energy technologies, as a pilot test that could be replicated in the region, thanks to the funds from the cooperation of the German Embassy in Buenos Aires. It is a pioneering test in the area of the Provincial Reserve of Peninsula Valdés and its buffer zone.
This project aim to:
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by the decomposition of organic solid waste and the burning of fossil fuels.
• Promote the use of renewable energy in the region.
• Raise awareness in the local community about the problem that Climate Change represents at a global level.
The following actions have been carried out:
• A biodigester has been built and installed to process organic waste generated by the gardening and animal husbandry work of a local NGO that works with vulnerable children and young people, while generating biogas to heat a chicken farm that is under construction on the same premises.
• Two solar collectors have been installed to supply hot water to a home and a school that do not have gas supply.
And also…
• Raising awareness among residents by emphasizing the importance of renewable energies in mitigating climate change and the correct way to separate their waste for the operation of the biodigester
• Training municipal staff and residents of the town in how to operate/apply the technologies selected by the project, and in carrying out proper maintenance of them.
It is worth noting that since the technology was applied in different sites, the project has gained greater visibility. In each case, consideration was given to the social acceptance of the technology by the beneficiaries, solving different problems and thus guaranteeing its subsequent care and maintenance. The selected sites were:
• The “Riacho San José” artisanal shellfish village, on the southwest coast of the San José Gulf, within the Peninsula Valdés Reserve.
• The “La Esperanza” wildlife refuge, on the southwest coast of the San Matías Gulf, within the buffer zone of the Peninsula Valdés Reserve.
• The “Ceferino Namuncurá” Foundation, in Puerto Madryn, within the buffer zone of the Peninsula Valdés Reserve.
At Riacho San José, the school and the residents were very grateful for the technology received and for the installation of a community shower, which is being used even before the facilities were “formally” inaugurated. In addition to providing a service to the community (which was not expected), the solar collector serves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by the burning of fossil fuel used to heat the water at the school.
At the “La Esperanza” Wildlife Refuge, the installed collector is already working and supplying hot water to the volunteers’ house and the house of the Game Wardens, while avoiding the burning of fossil fuels for this purpose.
The biodigester has a capacity of 10 m3 and has a gasometer to accumulate the biogas produced. It will be fed, initially, by the remains of the farm and orchard of the Ceferino Namuncurá Foundation, where it is being built, diluted with reused water provided by the Municipality of Puerto Madryn. The biogas produced will be used to heat a shed where chickens will be raised, which is also under construction, and the organic fertilizer will be used in the orchard. To adapt it to the climatic conditions of the coastal steppe of Patagonia, it is built underground and has a solar collector, also provided by the project, to heat it. This is the first biodigester in the area, and it is also the first time that it is heated in this way; therefore, its performance is key to promoting these technologies in the rest of Patagonia.
