EU-funded project affirming Malta’s commitment to climate innovation
A new experimental green roof at the Għajn Water Conservation Centre in Rabat will gather scientific data to explore the potential of this green infrastructure for flood prevention, while making buildings more sustainable and energy efficient.
Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise Miriam Dalli met the Energy and Water Agency (EWA) team that developed this green roof, as part of the GiFluid Project in collaboration with the University of Catania, and co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg Italia-Malta Programme. During the visit, Minister Dalli announced that following the upcoming two-year data collection period, the Agency is planning to open the green roof to visitors.
The new green roof is a multi-faceted structure, featuring a diverse mix of vegetation capable of thriving in Malta’s local climate, complemented by photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate clean energy. Over three thousand plants were carefully selected and introduced to the roof, specifically chosen for their ability to withstand Malta’s arid conditions.
For the next two years, this project will serve as a protype for EWA to gather data on how green roofs affect rainwater flows on roofs, how much of it is retained by the vegetation and the time taken to release it. The Agency will also analyse the quality of rainwater runoff from the green roof, focusing on nutrient levels, notably nitrates. This evaluation will shed light on any potential impacts associated with the adoption of green roofs.
Minister Miriam Dalli hailed this project as a significant step forward in Malta’s commitment to climate innovation. “These projects have the potential to regulate building temperatures, enhance energy efficiency and promote water conservation. The data that EWA is gathering in the coming years will help us determine the implementation of more projects of this nature throughout the country,” Miriam Dalli said.
EWA CEO Manuel Sapiano said that through the GiFluid project, the Agency will assess the numerous advantages offered by green roofs, including enhanced PV panel productivity. It is also a pioneering effort to explore the potential of green roofs in mitigating flood risks within the Maltese landscape.
Representatives from the Rabat Local Council and University of Catania were also present for this visit.
For more information, visit energywateragency.gov.mt and gifluid.eu.
Green roof bi 3,000 pjanta se jwassal biex tinġabar informazzjoni xjentifika għal proġetti futuri
Proġett iffinanzjat mill-UE li jafferma l-impenn ta’ Malta lejn innovazzjoni klimatika
Green roof fiċ-Ċentru Għajn għall-Konservazzjoni tal-Ilma fir-Rabat, li huwa magħmul minn 3000 pjanta, se jintuża għal skopijiet xjentifiċi sabiex jiġbor informazzjoni li tista’ tintuża fi proġetti futuri. Dan il-proġett se jesplora l-potenzjal ta’ din l-infrastruttura ħadra għall-prevenzjoni tal-għargħar, filwaqt li jagħmel il-bini aktar sostenibbli u effiċjenti fl-enerġija.
Il-Ministru għall-Ambjent, l-Enerġija u l-Intrapriża Miriam Dalli ltaqgħet mat-tim tal-Aġenzija tal-Enerġija u l-Ilma (EWA) li żviluppa dan il-green roof, bħala parti mill-Proġett GiFluid. Dan il-proġett sar b’kollaborazzjoni mal-Università ta’ Katanja, u huwa kofinanzjat mill-Unjoni Ewropea taħt il-Programm Interreg Italia-Malta. Waqt iż-żjara, il-Ministru Dalli ħabbret li matul dawn is-sentejn se tkun qed tinġabar informazzjoni xjentifika, u wara li jitlesta dan il-proċess l-Aġenzija qed tippjana li tiftaħ dan il-green roof għall-viżitaturi.
Dan il-green roof jinkludi fih varjetà ta’ veġetazzjoni addattata għall-klima ta’ pajjiżna, kif ukoll pannelli fotovoltajiċi (PV) biex jiġġeneraw enerġija nadifa. Aktar minn tlett elef pjanta ġew introdotti fuq il-bejt, u ġew magħżula speċifikament għall-kapaċità tagħhom li jifilħu l-kundizzjonijiet niexfa ta’ Malta.
Għas-sentejn li ġejjin, dan il-proġett se jservi bħala prototip għall-EWA biex tiġbor informazzjoni dwar l-ilma tax-xita u kemm minn dan jmur fil-veġetazzjoni u kemm jdum fihom. L-Aġenzija se tanalizza wkoll il-kwalità tat-tnixxija mill-ilma tax-xita mill-green roof billi se tiffoka fuq il-livelli tan-nutrijenti, partikolarment in-nitrati. Din l-evalwazzjoni se tgħin biex jiġi analizzat l-effett li jista’ jkollhom il-green roofs.
Il-Ministru Miriam Dalli faħħret dan il-proġett u qalet li huwa pass sinifikanti ‘l quddiem fl-impenn ta’ Malta għall-innovazzjoni klimatika. “Dawn il-proġetti għandhom il-potenzjal li jirregolaw it-temperaturi tal-bini, itejbu l-effiċjenza tal-enerġija u jippromwovu l-konservazzjoni tal-ilma. L-informazzjoni li qed tiġbor l-EWA fis-snin li ġejjin se tgħinna niddeterminaw l-implimentazzjoni ta’ aktar proġetti ta’ din in-natura fil-pajjiż kollu,” qalet Miriam Dalli.
Il-Kap Eżekuttiv tal-EWA Manuel Sapiano qal li permezz tal-proġett GiFluid, l-Aġenzija se tistudja l-benefiċċji tal-green roofs anke l-effett tagħhom fuq il-ġenerazzjoni ta’ enerġija mill-pannelli (PVs). Dan il-proġett se jesplora wkoll il-potenzjal tal-green roofs fil-mitigazzjoni tar-riskji tal-għargħar fil-pajsaġġ Malti.
Għal din iż-żjara kien hemm preżenti wkoll rappreżentanti mill-Kunsill Lokali tar-Rabat u l-Università ta’ Katanja.
Għal aktar informazzjoni, żur energywateragency.gov.mt u gifluid.eu.
