Man has brought nature to the extreme limits of self-sustainability and self-reproduction by the industrialization and application of technology in certain industries. Given that there is no life on Earth without energy, its production significantly affects the devastation of the natural environment, especially since fossil energy sources (coal, oil) are used in most cases. Driven by a great interest in the environmental protection and conservation, dating back to high school, but also by a growing problem, one of the tenants of IEC Tehnopolis, Veselin Vucurovic, founded Fontis Sol, a company with the goal of producing electrical and thermal energy from renewable sources (solar, earth, well
water, air and wind).
“The ever-growing need for energy has developed new technologies for its production. When they became dominant in the world and economically profitable, I turned my earlier hobby into a business of energy production. The main goal is the application of technologies that use renewable energy. I believe that every spot on the globe has enough energy that just needs to be produced and applied in the right way. After founding my business, I have established business cooperation with numerous partners – from manufacturers to installers of systems based on these sources and significantly contributing to information, education and realization of solar projects”, Mr. Vucurovic told us.
According to him, the use of renewable energy sources contributes significantly to raising standards and reducing the cost of meeting ecological criteria for a healthy environment: “These sources are permanent, cleanest energy sources available at every micro site, easy to use, do not require continuous maintenance and trough minimal servicing, are very reliable and long-lasting.” All energy on Earth comes from the sun, either directly or accumulated in Earth, groundwater, air and wind, which as Mr. Vucurovic says, requires a solution to produce energy for human needs. These sources are present all around us, they do not pollute the environment, do not produce the effects known as greenhouses, do not change the climatic characteristics of the environment. Depending on the type of energy, whether it is electrical or thermal energy, the systems required for its production are designed according to the climatic conditions of the site and
the amount of energy required. It depends on the energy of the sun, earth, water, air or wind or the synergy of these sources to provide sufficient energy for its purpose. Such energy sources bring numerous benefits and in addition to that they allow a lifestyle that is in harmony with nature. People, as he points out, become much more rational in consuming energy when they produce it themselves. The use of this type of energy requires installation, but unlike all others, it is free of charge, which immediately indicates their economic viability: “These sources provide high comfort of living, availability of all rooms in the apartment or house for the needs of family members through uniform warmth distribution, which contributes to the health of all family members. Financial savings in housing maintenance are evident since it is not necessary to eliminate the consequences of the use of other fuels every year and on this basis, there are no expenses for classic heat sources (wood, coal, oil, pellets, etc.), everything is automated and only requires adjustment depending on the annual temperature: heating or cooling.
The production of heat from renewable sources is possible from the energy of the sun and energy of the earth, well water and air. As Veselin explains, solar collectors in areas where insolation is good can produce enough hot water for household purposes for free: “Technology that requires the use of electricity is the use of heat pumps. Heat pumps use energy from the earth, well water and air and their operation requires electricity, depending on climatic conditions, from 10 to 30 percent of produced energy. This means that for heating and cooling in households, 90% to 70% of free energy is obtained through the use of heat pumps. The savings are obvious.
Unlike solar power plants, which can be installed where there is daylight and solar radiation, wind farms are settled in places with increased wind roses, requiring much more complex technical conditions for storage and transmission of electricity than solar power plants, Vucurovic points out.
The importance of these technologies is also highlighted by the fact that today, it is one of the fastest-growing industries, at an annual rate of 30%, which decreases the prices of these systems and increases accessibility to more and more people. Vucurovic believes that it is necessary to introduce basic and study knowledge of renewable energy sources, as sources of clean, stable and long-term energy production, economically and environmentally profitable resource, while preserving the environment and human needs, in the programs of primary and secondary schools, as well as at the faculties.
He says that a lot of attention had been attracted by an interesting project: a household that uses the synergy of the sun and earth, with enough energy for domestic needs that is produced by a solar power plant. “This project is unique in Montenegro. It was realized in Nikšić municipality and has been working properly for seven years. All sorts of media covered this project and many people interested in this project have directly found out about the advantages of this sort of system. The fact that many young people, primary or high school students, as well as university students and members of different ecological and cultural organizations, are interested in this project is especially delightful. All of that tells us that it is necessary that these systems become available to every human being.
He hopes that systems based on renewable energy sources, when combined with architectural, constructional, thermal and electrical standards will allow the creation of objects such as buildings and houses, means of transport, ranging from cars to ships and airplanes which will contribute to the preservation of nature and be very economical at the same time.
