Análisis del Potencial de Reducción de Impactos Medioambientales en Refugios de Montaña

Abstract

[EN] The background of the thesis arises from the Life European project Sustainhuts – Sustainable Mountain Huts in Europe. The main goals of the project are modernization and optimization of energy generation in mountain huts. This is addressed by means of automatization, introduction of renewable energy sources as a substitute for fossil fuels and reduction of required energy for operation and transportation. Consequently, the reduction of environmental impacts is achieved, which is especially important in the areas where mountain huts are located. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) regarding the operational phase of ten mountain huts in four countries across Europe is performed in this thesis. Specifically, it is focused on electricity and heat generation, as well as transportation required. In this way, energy balance of each mountain hut is accessed at the ˈˈState Of Play at the Beginningˈˈ (SOPB) and after modification of energy systems at the ˈˈState Of Play at the Endˈˈ (SOPE). After completing a proper preliminary study, GaBi Thinkstep software is used to set up LCA models for energy generation and transportation for every mountain hut case. Environmental balances of LCA models provide results regarding emissions. Particularly, CO2, NOX, SOX and particles (PM) are the target emissions of the study. Additionally, Carbon Footprint is calculated for all huts at the SOPB and the SOPE. Detailed analysis of results is completed to assess the effect of the newly suggested and installed solutions on emissions to environment. The results are presented for each hut and in one case the presentation of results is done more deeply to present the basic approach used. Overall, target emissions are reduced on average by 45%, considering all the mountain huts involved in the study. On account of this, it can be concluded that current energy generation systems in mountain huts enable rapid improvements that are economically feasible and have big potential in environmental impacts reductions. Results offer some general conclusions that could be implemented to all other mountain huts across Europe.

[ES] El trabajo nace de la mano del proyecto europeo ˈˈLIFE SUSTAINHUTSˈˈ, centrado en la modernización energética de refugios de montaña a partir de su optimización energética. El objetivo principal del estudio es el análisis del impacto medioambiental derivado de la operación de una serie de refugios de montaña ubicados en diferentes puntos de Europa. Así pues, se pretende establecer una comparación entre el estado inicial y el estado final, definido por la introducción de un conjunto de medidas de mejora tales como la incorporación de energías renovables. De esta manera, se busca optimizar la operación y autonomía de los refugios, reduciendo las emisiones contaminantes y la dependencia a los combustibles fósiles.

Para ello, tras un estudio preliminar adecuado, se hace uso del software GaBi Thinkstep para llevar a cabo un Estudio del Ciclo de Vida (Life Cycle Assessment) y modelar la producción energética y el transporte en cada caso. Con ello, se analizan y comparan las emisiones de CO2, NOX, SOX y PM y se evalúa el impacto ambiental derivado. Además, se usa la huella de carbono a modo de indicador medioambiental para realizar un análisis detallado de los resultados.