03.06.2024
Industrialization of energy renovation with wooden panels in practice
In the coming decades, we need to renovate almost all buildings in the EU (renovation wave), which requires significantly more efficient procedures; we need to combine the competencies of European industry and apply them to construction. We are also implementing this in Slovenia through the industrialization of building renovations. We are pleased to announce that we have started work on the first demonstration project in Ravne na Koroškem. For the INFINITE project partners, we organized a study visit that began at the local panel supplier (Lesoteka). They source wood from the surrounding forests, which they process for technical applications and pellets. Their location in Radlje ob Dravi is highly automated and powered by electricity and heat for the dryers from local cogeneration (546 kW) on wood gas, with pellets as the fuel. And the cycle is complete. At the factory, we saw the production of wooden panels that will be installed on the building. At the demo site of the project partner Stanovanjsko podjetje in Ravne na Koroškem, panels were being installed on the facade during our visit. We practically saw significant time savings for facade installation, as ~20 m² took a few dozen minutes, which is significantly faster compared to scaffolding and contact facades. The final layer will be white photovoltaic cells provided by the Swiss partner. This will give us a facade that is extremely quick to install, saves heat, and generates electricity. This enables new business models with which we can approach the much-needed renovations of our buildings. A heat pump has already been installed on the building, covering most of the heat needs, and in the summer, work will begin on a new wooden floor, which will include advanced ventilation systems from the Italian partner.
