Fluvius cabin in green jacket in Diepenbeek
Aesthetically pleasing electricity cabins, nicely integrated into their surroundings. It can be done, grid operator Fluvius is proving these days in Diepenbeek. Fluvius is investing heavily in the networks for tomorrow, strengthening its electricity grids to enable energy transition and climate adaptation. Among other things, that also means more electricity cabins. The search for land to install the cabins is not always smooth. Nevertheless, it should soon find space for about a thousand cabins a year. Electricity booths aesthetically clad in circular moss could be part of the solution.
Safety and functionality take precedence
An electricity cabin is a necessary functional part of the power grid. Safety and functionality take precedence, even today. But with the rapidly growing number of booths on the streets, it should come as no surprise that more aesthetic demands are being made today. Artfully painted cabs and ones fitted with bat roofs could already count on enthusiasm. But there are other possibilities.
Cab gets circular moss jacket
After research, the choice was made to cover the cabin with moss. It goes like this: you build a grid about 10cm from the outer walls of the cabin and fill the resulting space with moss. The moss used is circular moss, the residual product of aesthetic moss panels on walls in offices. That moss is in a kind of dormant state: it retains its colour, is alive, but no longer grows. And it offers biodiversity benefits: insects find their way in and it is good nesting material, so birds pull out tufts to build their nests. If a lot of birds do that, you need to replenish some every year. That is also immediately the only maintenance that needs to be done. Moss walls offer a sustainable solution that fits in seamlessly with the efforts the grid operator is already making in this area. They also have an insulating effect: they partially block heat and thus offer a slight cooling effect via natural insulation. Additional advantage: the moss does not provide a solid surface, so the risk of graffiti is virtually zero.
The moss walls offer a sustainable solution for the more than necessary additional electricity cabins that Fluvius will install in the coming years.
Media contact
Stijn Faelens