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Energy

District heating pipelines of the University of Basel
District heating network in the coal cellar of the Kollegienhaus at the University of Basel. (Image: Anna Wirz, © NMC, University of Basel)

The University of Basel registered an energy consumption of 55.1 GWh in 2019¹, corresponding approximately to the consumption of 3,300 households² in Switzerland. Energy consumption in 2020 dropped by more than 8 % compared with the previous year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The switch from nuclear to hydropower was also an important step towards a more sustainable energy supply.

Icons of SDG 7.2 and 7.3
Contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/)


The University of Basel takes different approaches to ensure an environmentally friendly, resource-conserving and efficient energy supply. To reduce its energy consumption, the university follows the federal government's Energy Strategy 2050 and strives for a continuous increase in energy efficiency. The university also focuses on greater use of renewable energies and waste heat to meet its energy needs. Improved monitoring supports successive evaluation of measures and makes it possible to identify potential for optimization.

 

Goals & actions

Goals 2021/2022
Actions
Responsible unit
Goals 2021/2022

Reduce energy consumption at the University of Basel

Actions

Energy savings of 20% over a 10-year period will be targeted for selected energyintensive buildings. The implementation of the measures is coordinated with the parties involved on the basis of the ownership structure and associated detailed agreements.


Gradually centralize server rooms at the University of Basel to benefit from energy use advantages


Begin operation of a central cooling system at Petersplatz from the second quarter of 2021. More buildings can be connected, allowing inefficient cooling devices to be replaced.

Responsible unit

Project management & engineering Campus managers

 

 

 

 

 

 


IT Services

 

 


Project management & engineering
Campus managers

Goals 2021/2022

Increase the share of renewable energies and use of waste heat to cover the university’s energy requirements

Actions

Complete two solar power plants on University of Basel buildings (Center for Pharmaceutical Sciences, new DSBG building); Pharma approx. 30 MWh; DSBG approx.120 MWh

Responsible unit

Facilities

Goals 2021/2022

Improve data collection and monitoring of energy and water consumption

Actions

Implement a new energy management and monitoring system (EMMS) to improve controlling and optimize operations. First use at new Petersplatz central cooling system from mid-2021

Responsible unit

Project management & engineering

Achieved Goals 2019/2020
Actions
Responsible unit
Achieved Goals 2019/2020

Increase the share of renewable energies and use of waste heat to cover the University’s energy requirements

Actions

Eliminate fossil fuel sources from the electricity mix


Change electricity mix from predominantly nuclear power to 100% European hydropower (when purchasing on the European electricity market; some buildings are supplied separately by local renewable energy sources)


Feasibility study for at least one solar power plant on a University of Basel building

Responsible unit

Facilities

 


Facilities

 

 

 

 

 

 


Project management & engineering

Achieved Goals 2019/2020

Improve data collection and monitoring of energy and water consumption

Actions

Collect data for usable floor space to calculate energy and water consumption per m2 (of usable floor space)


Calculate total energy and water consumption, like-for-like (based on usable floor space)

Responsible unit

Real estate development

 

 

 


Sustainability Office
Project management & engineering

Footnote
Footnote

[1] Buildings belonging to associated institutes, such as the Swiss TPH and the university hospital, were not included, and no energy consumption data was available for the smallest building units.

Footnote

[2] In 2019, end energy consumption per Swiss household was approx. 16,500 kWh (statistics from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (2020): Der Energieverbrauch der Privaten Haushalte 2000–2019: Ex-Post-Analyse nach Verwendungszwecken und Ursachen der Veränderungen).

Footnote

[3] Full Time Equivalents (FTE) include the number of employees (100% = 1 FTE) and the number of students. Students are counted as 0.68 FTE. A total of 11,716 FTE was used for 2019 and 12,012 FTE for 2020.

Footnote

[4] Energy consumption per usable floor area is used to clean up the data in order to account for the expansion of campus and the identification of energy-intensive buildings for which targeted measures can be introduced.

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