PHOTOVOLTAICS AS A TOOL FOR THE PRESERVATION OF FRAGILE ENVIRONMENTS: THE ISLAND OF LAMPEDUSA AND VALLE OSSI IN ITALY

摘要

This paper focuses on the use of photovoltaic systems as a device to contribute to the preservation of fragile protected environments. This will be demonstrated by two recent Italian projects. The first one is for a pristine beach on the island of Lampedusa in Sicily where the Caretta turtles lay their eggs, while the second is for a vast protected lagoon of Valle Ossi, near Venice. Each represents a precious and different kind of water landscape which demands a carefully orchestrated intervention of active and passive solar energy strategies to maintain the delicate equilibrium of nature. Both areas are selected sites of the European Community's Interest (S.I.C.) and listed as Protected Marine Reserves by the Italian Ministry of the Environment. From the micro-scale intervention of a self-sufficient kiosk, woven like a basket to watch over the turtle nesting area, to the macro-scale project of a large residential area on the edge of a dying brackish water area, these projects demonstrate the possibility conceiving self sufficient buildings that "breathe" with their sites. These structures are construction systems that allow a correct use of the sites. Each is designed to promote environmental awareness while providing either temporary or permanent shelters for people that wish to live in eco-compatible fashion.