The aim of the project is the development of innovative smart management systems, with emphasis on energy and the environment, which will contribute to the transformation of the economy as a whole, aiming at sustainable development and addressing environmental challenges. The shift to a biomimic economy is directly linked to resource efficiency in all forms, and controlling energy consumption is a key factor in the optimum use of available resources, ensuring the sustainability of the energy system, but also reducing the energy footprint of carbon dioxide (CO2), and protecting the environment. Tourism is one of the most powerful and rapidly growing economic sectors, while at the same time it is a complex process that relates to different sectors of the economy and draws its strength from fragile sources such as the environment, history and culture. The tourism industry, apart from its positive footprint, can be a factor of environmental and social burdens resulting from uncontrolled development without planning: High energy requirements, environmental pollution, wasting or destruction of natural resources. Several international organisations related to tourism, environment and culture (United Nations Environment Programme, UNESCO) propose that all types of tourist activity be designed, directed and developed in order to be environmentally sustainable over time, to bring sustainable economic benefits to the developing regions, to be morally and socially consistent with local communities and to ensure the preservation of natural and cultural capital for future generations. An important prerequisite for the successful implementation and efficiency of these features is the high quality of tourist facilities (e.g. installations with Green Key Environmental Management Signal, which cover ecological requirements related to environmental management and energy saving). The aim of this project is to create new technological bases for switching to smart management methods and techniques and increased integration of renewable energy in power generation, contributing to the reduction of the environmental cost of providing tourism services through the adoption of environmentally friendly resource-saving actions (mainly energy, water) in order to ensure environmental sustainability and reduce the operating costs of tourism businesses. In particular, the project concerns the strengthening of the offered level of services of the tourism sector (hotels and accommodation) through strengthening research on new sources and energy systems with hydrogen fuel. These systems (fuel cells) can be integrated into the overall framework for the development of sustainable energy projects of tourism enterprises and can significantly assist in the dissemination of Renewable Energy (RES) technologies, offering a reliable and energy-efficient form of storage and use of electricity.
