Development and evaluation of a method to estimate the potential of decarbonisation technologies deployment at higher education campuses

Horan, William P.; Shawe, Rachel; Moles, Richard; O’Regan, Bernadette

doi:10.1016/j.scs.2019.101464

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…As a concept and practice, "decarbonisation" is yet hardly discussed in the current academic body of knowledge. The explicit mentioning of the term in relation to HEIs is scarce, and few studies refer to the potential of decarbonisation technologies at HEI campuses [32][33][34]. Apart from contributing to environmental, educational, and societal benefits, implementing decarbonisation efforts is believed to provide economic benefits for HEIs as well, although this is currently still being debated in the literature [14].…”

Section: Carbon Reduction Efforts At Universitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low carbon futures: assessing the status of decarbonisation efforts at universities within a 2050 perspective

Filho

Vidal²,

Dinis³

et al. 2023

Energ Sustain Soc

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Background The implementation of sustainability at universities means that they can also play a key role in the transition to a low carbon economy, and in assisting global efforts towards decarbonisation. Yet, not all of them have so far fully engaged in this area. This paper reviews the state of the art on trends in decarbonisation, and outlines the need for decarbonisation efforts at universities. It also reports on a survey aimed at ascertaining the extent to which universities in a sample of 40 countries across the various geographical regions are engaged in carbon reduction efforts, identifying the challenges faced. Results The study has shown that the literature on the topic has been evolving over time and that increasing a given university’s energy supply from renewable energy sources has been the cornerstone of university-based climate action plans. The study also indicates that even though several universities are concerned with their carbon footprint and actively seeking ways to reduce it, there are some institutional obstacles that need to be overcome. Conclusions A first conclusion which can be drawn is that efforts on decarbonisation are becoming more popular, with a special focus being placed on the use of renewable energy. Also, the study has shown that, from the range of efforts being made towards decarbonisation, many universities are setting up a team with carbon management responsibilities, have Carbon Management Policy Statements, and review them. The paper points towards some measures which may be deployed, so as to allow universities to take better advantage of the many opportunities an engagement in decarbonisation initiatives offers to them.

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Section: Carbon Reduction Efforts At Universitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low carbon futures: assessing the status of decarbonisation efforts at universities within a 2050 perspective

Filho

Vidal²,

Dinis³

et al. 2023

Energ Sustain Soc

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“…Especially in the field of the efficient use of electricity to promote decarbonisationwhich corresponds to 'energy', the third dimension of the designed model-the literature describes several strategies, among which are those that minimise consumption through the acquisition of more efficient electronics (Bernardo & Oliveira, 2018;Gorgulu & Kocabey, 2020) and those related to efforts to extend the commitment of the academic community to rationalise the use of electrical energy (Soares et al, 2015). Other initiatives aimed at co-generating energy through photovoltaic panels, biodigesters, and wind turbines, among other forms, are also mentioned (Bourdeau et al, 2018;Horan et al, 2019Horan et al, , 2020.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of the academic community on the performance of sustainable development initiatives in higher education

Filho,

de Vasconcelos,

Ferreira

et al. 2023

Sustainable Development

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Since the UN Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm in 1972, higher education institutions (HEIs) have been adapting to assume their social role in supporting societies in promoting sustainable lifestyles. However, HEIs are complex institutions composed of several interdependent subsystems. Sustainable improvement requires holistic assessment measures to comply with established goals. To date, few studies have focused on comparing the different perceptions of sustainability in HEIs and considering the views of the academic community in shaping the efforts and better disseminating sustainable development initiatives. To fill this gap, this work aimed to implement a methodology that compares the perceptions of sustainability and the implemented actions among members of HEIs to show the discrepancies between perceptions and facts. Many studies report either the perception of members of the academic community or the technical assessment of the sustainable performance of the institution in isolation. The novelty of this work lies in developing a tool that allows the use of a similar scale to compare the perception of users of academic services with the valuation attributed by technicians responsible for implementing sustainable development initiatives at HEIs. Analysing of these results enables the identification of dimensions with discrepancies, guiding managers as they carry out actions to promote greater community engagement in implementing sustainability initiatives that boost the consolidation of these values in the institutional culture. Additionally, it is highlighted that the proposed methodology could be adapted for use in other types of institutions, maintaining the same benefits described here.

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“…Several studies focus on-campus production of renewable energy. For example, Horan et al (2019) present a method to estimate available energy production from photovoltaic (PV) installations on institutional roofs and over parking lots. The Roberts et al (2016) study of fully renewable institutional energy focuses on campus production and includes a discussion of energy purchases and efficiency, but with no specific criteria for how much to rely on each option.…”

Section: Review Of Relevant Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

A cost-minimizing approach to eliminating the primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions at institutions of higher education

Timmons¹,

Weil

2021

IJSHE

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Purpose Many institutions of higher education have committed to carbon neutrality. Given this goal, the main economic issue is minimizing cost. As for society as a whole, dominant decarbonization strategies are renewable electricity generation, electrification of end uses and energy efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to describe the optimum combination of strategies. Design/methodology/approach There are four questions for eliminating the primary institutional greenhouse gas emissions: how much renewable electricity to produce on-site; where and at what price to purchase the balance of renewable electricity required; how to heat and cool buildings without fossil fuels; and how much to invest in energy efficiency. A method is presented to minimize decarbonization costs by equating marginal costs of the alternates. Findings The estimated cost of grid-purchased carbon-free energy is the most important benchmark, determining both the optimal level of campus-produced renewable energy and the optimum efficiency investment. In the context of complete decarbonization, greater efficiency investments may be justified than when individual measures are judged only by fossil-fuel savings. Practical implications This paper discusses a theoretically ideal plan and implementation issues such as purchasing carbon-free electricity, calculating marginal costs of conserved energy, nonmarginal cost changes, uncertainty about achieving efficiency targets, and dynamic pricing. The principles described in this study can be used to craft a cost-minimizing decarbonization strategy. Originality/value While previous studies discuss decarbonization strategies, there is little economic guidance on which strategies are optimal, on how to combine strategies to minimize cost or how to identify a preferred path to decarbonization.

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Development and evaluation of a method to estimate the potential of decarbonisation technologies deployment at higher education campuses

Cited by 16 publications

References 32 publications

Low carbon futures: assessing the status of decarbonisation efforts at universities within a 2050 perspective

Low carbon futures: assessing the status of decarbonisation efforts at universities within a 2050 perspective

Perceptions of the academic community on the performance of sustainable development initiatives in higher education

A cost-minimizing approach to eliminating the primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions at institutions of higher education

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