Ferrovial workers design Sustainable on-site Energy Supply Module
Ferrovial, a leading company in the development of sustainable infrastructures, has presented IKONGREEN, its on-site green energy supply modules developed by three employees as part of the company’s Zuritanken corporate innovation program. This project is a further step towards meeting the decarbonization objectives, which include 100% of the group’s electricity consumption coming from renewable sources by 2025.
IKONGREEN meets circular economy criteria, as they are assembled in recycled containers. In addition to generating the electricity consumed on-site, it has a second hut that acts as a module for transporting the solar panels and as a clean point for sorting the waste generated.
The service module is equipped with inverters, storage batteries, energy management and control systems, telecommunications network services, as well as the necessary connections to provide service to the office sheds and site equipment. In addition, there is space for presentations/virtual classroom and health and safety equipment.
A total of 72 m2 of photovoltaic panels (36 panels of 2m2 each), which can be installed on the roofs of the cabins or at ground level, allow the connection of machinery and charging of electric vehicles thanks to the 16kWP of power of the installation and the integrated charging point. The module reduces CO2 emissions and electricity costs by up to 90%. Thanks to the pilot test carried out, it is estimated that the annual savings of the module are around 14,000 euros per year.
In addition, it reduces start-up times with all services pre-installed. The availability of essential services in traditional construction site huts takes around 15 days, while these modules can be operational in 48 hours. It is a versatile structure that allows different configurations, so it is easily adaptable to the space, whether in industrial, residential, or linear works away from urban environments. The company plans to start installing them on its construction sites before the end of the year.
Zuritanken ideas think-tank
The IKONGREEN project was chosen as a finalist among the 110 ideas proposed in the Sustainability Challenge launched by Ferrovial in the Zuritanken think-tank. This internal innovation program sought solutions to achieve a low-carbon economy that are aligned with the company’s capabilities and knowledge in areas such as the circular economy, sustainable mobility, energy transition, investments in biodiversity, the water cycle, urban transformation and adaptation to climate change.
Since 2012, thanks to the Zuritanken internal innovation program, 3,546 ideas have been collected over the five editions that have been completed. The program was created with the aim of structuring and channeling the ideas and innovation projects of Ferrovial employees around the world. Projects in which working groups formed voluntarily and collaboratively by employees from its divisions responded to different business challenges faced by the company.
The feasibility of the project was studied at the Zuritanken incubator, where experts in internal and external asset management made the idea a reality. Pedro Riesco, Eduardo Moral and Fernando San José were responsible for the winning proposal. The intellectual property of IKONGREEN is protected under the figure of utility model and the application has been processed at the OEPM (Spanish Patent and Trademark Office).
This project is part of the actions carried out by the company to reduce, avoid, and offset CO2 emissions to comply with its decarbonization strategy. The Strategic Sustainability Plan, approved by the Board of Directors and the General Shareholders’ Meeting, also includes the reduction of the water footprint and the reduction of greenhouse gases.
Ferrovial is the first company to have its Sustainability Strategy certified by AENOR in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promoted by the United Nations. The company’s efforts to make the world a more sustainable place have been rewarded with inclusion in some of the world’s most prestigious sustainability indexes such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the FTSE4Good and its Spanish version FTSE4Good IBEX, CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), STOXX, Vigeo and ISS.
