On 24 and 25 February, the international team from the European GREENinMED project met in Nice to discover the region's innovative technological facilities, and to take part in a transnational workshop on sustainable energy and water management as assets for relaunching the region's tourist accommodation offer following the health crisis.
The project GREENinMEDwhich brings together partners from Spain, France (represented by Capenergies) and Israel, aims to make Mediterranean tourism accommodation more sustainable by promoting sustainable and innovative solutions for better management of water and energy consumption. A look back at the highlights of these 2 days...
GREENINMED STUDY VISIT TO NICE : an excellent opportunity for all the partners to familiarise themselves with new innovative solutions and to discuss their possible application in the tourism sector.
- Discover the SMART BUILDING UNITY property development programme
In the heart of the Grand Arénas, an international business district located in Nice's Eco-Valley, GREENinMED's partners were able to discover the property programme Unity established by the developer Nacaratwhich includes two hotels (3 and 4 stars), offices and shops.
Here, Dalkia Smart Buildingthe energy services company is designing and building an intelligent energy system based on smart grids, enabling the building to be supplied with heating, domestic hot water and air conditioning by 50% of renewable energy produced locally using thermal solar panels and aerothermal energy (recovery of calories from the outside air). An intelligent energy storage system will also enable production to be adapted to consumption in real time.
For greater efficiency, Dalkia Smart Building is also installing an energy recovery system on the lifts, and equipping 19 car park spaces with electric recharging points - in partnership with Sodetrel.
- Visit to IMREDD - Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Risk and Sustainable Development
GREENinMED partners had the opportunity to find out about IMREDD's training offer, and discover the open collaborative technological platform called Smart City Innovation Center thatencourages experimentation, and supports innovative sectors by giving them the opportunity to carry out trials, tests and prototypes.
On 25 February, the IMREDD also hosted a transnational workshop organised as part of GREENinMED to encourage meetings between tourist accommodations committed to a sustainable approach and those offering water and energy saving solutions.
Review of the GREENinMED transnational workshop in Nice, on energy and water management in the tourism industry following the health crisis
By taking part in this workshop, tourist accommodations were able to identify the best solutions available on the market that correspond to their expectations in terms of water and energy management, draw inspiration from the virtuous practices of other establishments, and understand the funding opportunities available at national and regional level to make their offers more sustainable.
Suppliers of innovative solutions were able to gain a better understanding of the expectations and trends of the hotel industry following the health crisis, meet potential future customers looking for energy and/or water efficiency solutions, and present their technical offerings in a European context.
After an opening speech by Paulo Moura, Head of Innovation at theIMREDDon how natural and man-made hazards can affect the construction industry and the tourism offer, Aline Fresier, coordinator of the Recovery Plan at the Direction Régionale de ADEME South Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur regionHe gave participants an overview of the actions taken by the government to relaunch the tourism sector after the health crisis, namely the recovery and transformation plan, the sustainable tourism fund and the thermal renewable energy fund.
The workshop continued with presentations by :
- Michelle Fawcett, Head of Tourism, Culture and Hospitality at the Consultancy Group InExtensowhich presented the latest performances of the European hotel industry and trends in the recovery from the health crisis.
- Marc Thepot, Chairman of Marseille Métropole Convention and Visitors Bureauwho presented a case study of the City of Marseille's strategy to make its accommodation offer more sustainable, in particular through la Clef Verte. This programme proposes to label Marseille's hotels and hotel residences with a view to greening the city's tourism offering, which will host some of the competitions in the 2024 Summer Olympics. The Clef Verte label enables tourist accommodation providers to work towards 7 key areas of sustainable development, including water and energy management.
- Alice Denoix, director of Hotel 96, winner of the Clef Verte 2021 award, who described the measures taken to improve energy and water consumption at this 15-bedroom hotel in the heart of the Calanques National Park: building design, permaculture, installation of PV panels.
The workshop ended with a presentation of several solutions for optimising the performance of tourist accommodation buildings, ensuring the comfort of their customers and controlling their operating costs:
- Rico Den Ouden de Hocosto presented its new technology for the seasonal storage of CO2-neutral thermal energy underground.
- Eric Burkel from Hydrao presented the world's first intelligent shower with nudge technology.
- Pierre Magnes de FGWRS demonstrated the Firmus grey water recycling system.
A replay of the workshop is available on the GREENinMED Facebook.