Electricity for 120 families for one year. Or for 500 student rooms. That's how much electricity the photovoltaic panels on the roof of the sports halls on the VUB campus in Etterbeek have been supplying since 27 May. With an output of 490 kWp, they can provide around 421 100 kWh of electricity annually.
The VUB now generates about 7.5% of its annual electricity consumption itself, thanks to both the new photovoltaic installation and the larger one on Brussels Health Campus. Together, these two installations save about 400 tonnes of CO2 per year.
At the request of the Sustainability Advisory Council, ecology and efficiency were reconciled during the installation by allowing a minimum loss of efficiency in order to avoid felling the trees around the buildings.
CO2 emissions from 4 years ago
Total VUB emissions in 2018 amounted to almost 42 000 tonnes of CO2. The share of energy in this will decrease in 2020. The savings achieved by the VUB through the use of both photovoltaic installations - 400 tonnes of C02 - and (again) 100% green electricity are estimated at around 5 000 tonnes. This brings total emissions back to the level of 2016.
However, much remains to be done towards 2050 and a climate-neutral VUB. In the short term, the Energy Master Plan will set out the priorities for campuses with minimal energy consumption that no longer use fossil fuels. A series of infrastructural measures currently underway (relighting, renovation of buildings, building management systems, smart cooling, etc.) will definitively lead to a rapid reduction and compensation of emissions.
The roll-out of the framework contract implementing the so-called Travel abc (2020) will also tackle the mobility footprint this year.
Want to know more about the carbon footprint and the sustainable measures at the VUB? All info can be found here.