Afurada Living Lab receives committee from EEA Grants Environment Programme

The Afurada Living LAB (ALL) received last Tuesday, January 24, a delegation of the EEA Grants Environment Program which included representatives of the Norwegian Embassy (one of the donor countries) and the General Secretary of Environment (SGA), Management Authority of the Program. The visit aimed to assess the progress of the project at the level of the diverse range of thematic areas integrated in the Action Plan, as well as to present the Technology Partnership and the respective value proposal that it brings to the community.

The visit was based on 3 “steps” naturally associated to the priority areas of ALL:

Energy and Buildings: A Renewable Energy Community
The meeting point and starting point for this technical itinerary was the Interpretative Centre of the Heritage of Afurada (CIPA), where the partners of DSTsolar and innovationpoint, shared with the group, the creation of a system of production and self-consumption of renewable energy, through the installation of photovoltaic panels which will allow (i) the reduction of the purchase of electricity and (ii) the production and sharing of clean energy for three territorial stages: the Basic School of Afurada de Baixo, Afurada Municipal Market and CIPA.

Sustainable Urban Mobility: Smart and Sustainable Connection
The visit continued to the car park of Afurada (next to the public washhouse) where UBIWHERE, technological partner involved in the implementation of the thematic area of sustainable mobility, shared with the entourage, the future operation of the activity “Afurada Smart Parking” – monitoring system of parking on public roads and/or in car parks in real time.

The Afurada Living Lab foresees the implementation of a set of activities for the promotion and (re)design of a sustainable urban mobility ecosystem in the territory, to contribute to the reduction of CO₂ emissions.

Community Involvement and Circular Economy and Environment: A space for creating encounters
Next, we met our “show room”, a space dedicated to our ALL, in the heart of the territory, specifically in the Afurada market where the partner entity GAIURB explained the operation of the Upcycle machines, from which waste produced in two territorial anchors – the Fishing Dock and the Market – will be reused to create various products for the benefit of the Afurada community.