Renewable energy

Most of the energy people use, is generated from fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal or uranium). As we are entering an energy crisis, those fossil fuels will become increasingly expensive. Electricity, mainly generated from coal in Serbia, will follow.

The only way to mitigate this energy crisis is, on one hand, to save energy and, on the other, to use energy not generated from fossil fuels. That is what renewable energy is all about.

Renewable energy is all around us, and, apart from biomass, is free whether we use it or not. Energy gained from a geothermal source, from the sun or from the wind can effectively replace the use of primary energy generated from fossil fuels. Beodom is firmly committed to use renewable energy in its constructions. Because we care and because we act responsibly, we are leading the way in this new area that is bound to become increasingly important in residential buildings.

Geothermal heat pump

This is Beodom first commitment on the path to renewable energy. In Amadeo, we will install a Vaillant GeoTherm heat pump, Ground-Water, connected to several Rehau RAUGEO vertical probes going 100m below ground.

Vaillant 750 liters buffer and geothermal heat pump GeoTHERM VWS 300/2 in Amadeo (photo Beodom).

Vaillant geothermal heat pump GeoTHERM VWS 300/2 connected to the geothermal probes in Amadeo (photo Beodom).

Passage of the geothermal probes into Amadeo building (photo Beodom).

Preparation of the Rehau RAUGEO geothermal probe (based on PE-Xa pipes) for installation on one of Amadeo's boreholes (photo Beodom).

A geothermal heat pump functions by taking energy from the ground to provide useful energy to heat the home and possibly to provide hot water. Ground source heat pumps offer excellent energy savings as up to 75% energy for heating can be extracted from the ground. Electricity is used to run the compressor and circulate the fluids to exchange heat.

The closed loop of pipe is installed in the ground and filled with glycol anti-freeze mixture. The fluid is warmed by the latent heat in the ground to about 10-12°C. It is pumped to the heat pump where the heat is transferred to the closed pressurised compressor circuit in the heat pump. The heat pump then provides warm water for the heating system.

Geothermal energy works best when used together with underfloor heating, which requires low water temperature to heat the home.

Vaillant geothermal heat pump GeoTherm VWS Ground-Water (source Vaillant).

Sanitary hot water using thermal solar panels

Thermal solar panels are the perfect solution to provide sanitary hot water. In Belgrade, solar energy can cover up to 85% of the yearly need of hot water. That is as much saving in electricity.

Rehau SOLECT system for project Amadeo. 2 water cylinders of 500 liters each and 12 solar collectors for a total surface on the roof of 25.7m² (photo Beodom).

Rehau SOLECT system installed in Amadeo (photo Beodom).

Solar collectors, installed on the south part of the roof, are connected to central water cylinders that provide hot water for all apartments in one building. Additionally, the same water cylinders are connected to the geothermal heat pump that can complement solar energy in the cold season. Solar energy combined with geothermal energy can provide close to 100% of sanitary hot water need all year round. It is a fantastic combination that saves electric energy traditionally used to provide hot water.

Rehau SOLECT thermal solar panels installed on Amadeo's roof (photo Beodom).

Other solutions for using renewable energy

There are other very interesting solutions for using renewable energy such as the photovoltaic solar panels to produce electricity from the sun, earth cooling tubes to warm or refresh the air of the ventilation or using a cogeneration unit. We will continue to explore the feasibility of those other sources on future projects. We will intensify cooperation with governmental agencies and governmental bodies to facilitate and validate our efforts in the domain.