Switching off fossil fuels with bioenergy in Parco Nord Schools
The largest high school in Europe, the Parco Nord Schools, has ceased using natural gas and fossil fuels, transitioning to bioenergy with woodchips. This shift results in a reduction of over a thousand tons of CO2 emissions each year.
Located in the Metropolitan City of Milan, the Parco Nord Schools serve 6,000 students and host a daily total of 7,000 people, including teaching and non-teaching staff. In 2017, the school required significant upgrades, but the city lacked the necessary resources. The school undertook a comprehensive energy efficiency improvement intervention for the building, aiming to achieve significant economic savings and using those savings to pay for the investment over a medium-length period.
The core of the Parco Nord project involved installing a 2 MW woodchip heating plant to replace two natural gas boilers. The original boilers had a combined power of over 4 MW, but due to increased efficiency, the new 2 MW system is sufficient. Currently, the woodchips come from nearby areas and agricultural companies within the district. The school's location within a park makes biomass the most natural and obvious solution, as park pruning could meet 70% of the school's energy needs, and potentially go up to 100% with more careful management.
The project counts with the active participation of the faculty and students. Before commencing renovations, teachers and students were encouraged to foster energy-saving behaviours. Students are participating in a competition to design a totem summarizing the project, with the winning design to be implemented. Regular meetings are scheduled to keep students updated, involving companies working on various renovation aspects to explain their processes and decisions.
Contribution to EU Priorities
By embracing bioenergy and utilizing woodchips, the Parco Nord Schools set a precedent for sustainable practices in educational institutions, significantly reducing their carbon footprint and fostering a greener environment. Thus, proactively contributing to the following Eu priorities:
- Circular Economy Action Plan – Ensure less waste and make sustainable products the norm in the EU
- Climate Strategy – Reduction of CO2 emissions
- EU Bioeconomy Strategy Innovation
Where
Italy
Project championed by
