RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES AND HERITAGE SITES

ABSTRACT

Today’s society is at the junction of two great challenges: the desire to preserve and carry on the values of the past, materialized in heritage sites and the application of all the measures known at present, to ensure high living standard from the point of view of thermal comfort and energy efficiency. These two directions are often found to contradict each other and even end up rejecting each other. To take care of the values of the past, it means applying clear rules in the processes of rehabilitation, restoration or reconstruction of historical buildings. Among these we can remember: the use of original materials, the unalteration of facades by putting equipment/installations or by modifying thermal insulation and changing doors, windows and roofs. At the same time, increasing energy efficiency, implies among other things, ensuring good thermal insulation, the use of new construction materials, and the use of bulky equipment and installations, the operation of which involves the installation of pipes that are often unsightly and inappropriate with historic buildings. Moreover, energy efficiency is not complete unless it is accompanied by the transition to the use of clean energy, namely by integrating renewable sources into current energy production systems. This issue is all the more difficult to apply to heritage sites. Even when compromise solutions are found that do not physically endanger historical buildings, another conflicting factor arises, namely resisting inhabitants of these sites. The authors have proposed in this paper to carry out a study of the problems encountered in such situations, worldwide, and to highlight the best settlement measures, so that in future it can work more efficiently.

Keywords: renewable energy, energy efficiency, heritage