People Power: 19 Public Buildings that Generate Renewable Energy

Written by Julia Daudén | Translated by Amanda Peixoto Almeida

Read the original version in Portuguese here.

Published on February 17, 2020

The global climate crisis is one that requires discussion in many areas of life, from planning for containment to the prevention of consequences. One of the main factors in this debate involves our means of energy production that, historically, were responsible for severe damage to the environment. This was due to the lack of concern to seek renewable and sustainable sources to generate electricity, and also the lack of technology. In general, traditional methods of electrical energy are ones that produce waste, release atmospheric and water pollutants, and use non-renewable resources.

In the construction sector, it is vital to reflect on ways to optimize processes related to architecture, but, even after the construction ends, some buildings go one step further by incorporating renewable energy sources into their performance. With this in mind, we have selected 19 projects that address this matter and serve as examples to think increasingly about the concept of self-sufficient projects or, at least, projects with a certain degree of autonomy. In some cases, the success of these methods is so great that the buildings generate an oversupply of electricity that, in addition, provide power for neighboring buildings.