At ENGIE, we are convinced that the development of renewable energies and infrastructures will only be possible if the environment is respected. This natural capital, just like our human, financial, material or immaterial capital, is therefore just as important in preserving our capacity for action and maintaining our sustainability.
Biomimicry is thus one of the keys to our strategy. With it, we show our desire to better understand and involve living things in our thinking in order to bring out solutions that are not only sustainable, but also regenerative, to create the conditions for a desirable future for all.
This year again, we are supporting the Biomim'Challenge, a competition open to all projects that have one thing in common: integrating the biomimetic approach into their discipline (architecture, design, materials, agriculture, chemistry, energy, health, human resources, city, etc.).
This partnership with Biomim'Expo and the Biomim'Challenge gives resonance and meaning to our raison d'être.
Some examples of research projects and achievements in the field of biomimicry at ENGIE:
Climate change and the depletion of natural resources are inviting us every day to rethink our relationship with nature. Biomimicry is a resource that we are investing in very seriously to respond to this environmental emergency and meet the needs of our businesses.
- Bioscyance: a project to use biopolymers in the treatment of industrial and urban water
Elengy, a subsidiary of ENGIE, and the ENGIE Lab Crigen research centre, have developed an original and eco-responsible "biotech" solution. The solution lies in the use of biopolymer to limit the development of any living organism on the surfaces of installations immersed in water (e.g. concrete, resin, stainless steel, etc.). This biomolecule is harmless to nature and entirely biodegradable: 70% of biopolymers are degraded in fifteen days. For more information: https://innovation.engie.com/fr/trophees-de-l-innovation/bioscyance–le-traitement-bio-des-eaux-industrielles-et-urbaines/4583
The intervention of Marianne Gallardo at Biomim'expo 2018 to present Bioscyance :
(a project for which Polymaris biotechnology is associated)
- Ecotone: biomimicry in urban architecture
Ecotone is an 82,000 m² real estate project developed on the Arcueil site. Winner of the "Inventons la Métropole du Grand Paris" competition, Ecotone places biomimicry at the heart of the building's architectural structure by creating a living skin. The walls function like a double skin: they adapt to temperature variations and optimise the building's energy consumption. The Compagnie de Phalsbourg, the project owner, and ENGIE Lab Crigen are including Ecotone in a low-carbon approach, in particular by facilitating the recovery of hot waste water, the installation of solar panels and the installation of urban wind turbines. https://www.engie.com/innovation-transition-energetique/centres-de-recherche/crigen/
- Wind turbines: acoustic innovation and biomimicry
Vigilant about the real impacts after construction of wind farms and the feelings of local residents during operation, ENGIE Green has developed an acoustic innovation inspired by nature, which consists of fitting the blades of wind turbines with "serrations" that imitate the wings of an owl. This nocturnal bird of prey, which hunts by hearing, seeks silent flight. This technology has resulted in a significant reduction in noise without affecting the production of the wind farm. https://projet-eolien-quillien.fr/innovation-acoustique-et-biomimetisme/
A podcast to rethink our relationship with nature
At a time when our lifestyle and consumption patterns are endangering the environment, it is time to look again to nature as a source of inspiration and innovation, thanks to biomimicry. What lessons can we learn from the functioning of living organisms? How can we reproduce natural structures in materials? How can we reintegrate the water cycle into our urban ecosystems? And above all, how can we place biomimicry at the heart of R&D strategies? https://shows.pippa.io/the-good-galaxy/episodes/repenser-notre-rapport-a-la-nature
ABOUT ENGIE
Our raison d'être is to act to accelerate the transition to a carbon-neutral economy, through more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions. This raison d'être brings us together with our 170,000 employees, our customers and our shareholders and reconciles economic performance with a positive impact on people and the planet. Our action is to be appreciated in its entirety and over the long term.
Turnover in 2019: €60 billion. Listed in Paris and Brussels (ENGI), the Group is represented in the main financial (CAC 40, DJ Euro Stoxx 50, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe) and extra-financial (DJSI World, DJSI Europe and Euronext Vigeo Eiris - World 120, Eurozone 120, Europe 120, France 20, CAC 40 Governance) indices.
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