Installation’s Conception in the Field of Renewable Energy Sources for the Needs of the Silesian Botanical Garden

Abstract

This study presents the specificity of the Silesian Botanical Garden (SBG) and its importance in protecting biodiversity in the Silesia area in Poland. Due to the special socio-ecological nature of the SBG and the request of the Garden’s Director, various types of renewable energy sources (RESs) installations were considered. These installations were intended to fulfill an educational function for society and meet the energy demands of the SBG. The concepts of on-grid and off-grid, including wind turbine, a system of photovoltaic panels (PVPs), and pumped storage hydropower plant (PSHP), were taken into account in the geoengineering analysis. The guidelines of the RESs device manufacturers do not consider complex soil–water conditions, the value of the loading forces (including influences from wind, temperature, snow, and soil pressure) related to a specific location (e.g., insolation), etc. The preliminary analysis of possible solutions showed that the energy from renewable energy sources meets the demands of the Garden on an annual cycle. In addition, the proposed conceptions take into account the specificity of the Silesian Botanical Garden (for example, a set of photovoltaic panels looks like a solar tree) and interfere with the landscape and ecosystem as little as possible. The selection of specific devices and materials and the accurate design of the proposed solutions may take place in a larger group of specialists in the field of geotechnics, mechanics, energetics, electricity, aerodynamics, etc., after obtaining financing by the SBG authorities.