The team of the Aragon Hydrogen Foundation visits the Estós Hut

The technicians of the Foundation went to the shelter of Estós for the replacement of a damaged consumption meter as well as for taking new electrical and thermal measurements in the refuge. These activities are part of the LIFE SUSTAINHUTS project to search for sustainable solutions in mountain shelters.

During the 24th and 25th of October, two technicians from the Aragon Hydrogen Foundation (FHA) travelled to the Estós refuge, located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, in order to replace a damaged consumption meter after an overvoltage produced by the fall of a thunderbolt. This lightning, produced during a summer storm, caused the partial breakage of the hydraulic production turbine located in the vicinity of the refuge as well as the breakdown of the data logger installed in the refuge since last June.

Taking advantage of the displacement, the technicians carried out several parallel activities, such as measurements of electric current intensity at various points, thermal photographs of the building or measurements of environmental acoustics in the vicinity of the refuge. All this has been done in close collaboration with the owners of the refuge, maintaining the joint work carried out throughout the entire project.

The visit is part of the second year of the LIFE SUSTAINHUTS project, in which optimal solutions are still being developed to improve the sustainability of the shelters included in it. In the case of Estós, whose electrical production comes from an electric generator, photovoltaic panels and a small hydraulic turbine, the proposed solutions will focus on improving the turbine’s flow, improving the building’s energy efficiency and improving the systems of the storage and the electrical panel, which will mean a reduction in diesel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.