Valldaura aims to be a self-sufficient environment capable of meet its needs by means of renewables. The keystone of the whole system is the Energrid research project, developed by IaaC for Endesa, in collaboration with the i2Cat Foundation, and being implemented for the first time at Valldaura Labs. Energrid is a kind of energy Internet, a system in which the various Valldaura buildings produce and consume, store or share energy according to strict principles of efficiency. Each electrical node (switch or power point) has a microcomputer (developed in the project) that monitors individual consumption and can avoid demand peaks by actively managing consumption. It is intended to introduce this model in the urban environment over the next few years. At Valldaura, energy comes from a biomass plant that uses local resources, as well as solar panels and mini wind-turbine systems.
At Valldaura we are also developing the HydroGrid project in order to ensure efficient water management, based on the principle of having five different tanks to allow the most appropriate kind of water to be used for each purpose. Clean water, roof rainwater, surface runoff from the plazas, greywater and sewage are recycled for maximum water saving.
Valldaura is also developing the Global Traceability of Matter project, in order to extend our awareness of all the materials and transformation processes involved in the production of any object, including residues and re-use.
