Sustainable energy generation on campus
Objectives
Our aim is to generate at least 10% of the electricity we use sustainably by 2026.
Current situation
In 2022, around 465.3 MWh of electricity was generated on campus. This accounts for 1.4% of the University’s total electricity consumption. This is slightly higher than in 2021, thanks to the solar panels on the roof of the LAB42 building.
We are therefore a long way off our target of sustainably generating 10% of our own electricity by 2026. In 2021, we investigated whether the undeveloped land at the Amsterdam Science Park could offer a solution, but unfortunately, the availability of this land is too limited. In the coming years, we will look at alternative ways of increasing the amount of electricity we generate on our campuses.
Status of envisaged measures
Read more about the measures in the White Paper on Sustainability (PDF, 19 pages).
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We are putting solar panels on all suitable roofs
In 2021, projects were launched to install panels on the REC H and REC BCD buildings (in 2022) and on the SP 107 building (in 2023). In 2023-2026, the UvA will conduct a large-scale tender for solar panels on other roof surfaces, including the BCD, G and EH buildings on the Roeterseiland campus and parts of Science Park 904.
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Exploring options for installing solar panels on vacant plots at the Science Park (2020)
In 2021, we investigated whether the undeveloped land at the Amsterdam Science Park could offer a solution, but unfortunately, the availability of this land is too limited. In 2022, we will look at alternative ways of increasing the amount of electricity we generate on our campuses.
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We are exploring alternative generation capacity options
A wind turbine installed in collaboration with the municipality (2020) is one example. This option is currently (2022) being explored.
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Exploring options for using the residual heat from the data centres at the Science Park (2020)
This option has been explored: it is not a suitable option for the UvA because we have our own thermal energy storage system with a heat surplus. We plan to connect some of the remaining gas consumption at the Science Park to the sustainable thermal energy storage system. In this way, we will improve the balance.