Akademiska Hus in the lead for more solar panels
Thursday, 8 March 2018
Akademiska Hus is engaging in a record-breaking renewable energy initiative to boost its solar panel capacity by 50 per cent. Rooftop solar panels are now being installed on the majority of buildings on the Ultuna Campus in Uppsala. As a result, total solar energy production for the property company’s entire holdings around the country will rise from 2 to 3 million kWh/year.
Since 2007 Akademiska Hus has been equipping Sweden’s campuses with solar parks as part of an initiative to reduce the amount of purchased energy and instead invest in renewable energy sources. In recent years, the number of on campus-facilities has surged, and the company is now taking yet another large green step forward in 2018 to create even more sustainable campuses.
“The solar panel initiative will strengthen the Ultuna Campus as a sustainable development site, while making a positive contribution to Akademiska Hus’ ambitious energy target. We’re now boosting our nationwide solar capacity by 50 per cent from 2 to 3 million kWh, while demonstrating that we are serious about working with renewable energy,” says Johan Tjernström, business developer in energy at Akademiska Hus.
Akademiska Hus is investing about SEK 15 million in the extensive initiative on the Ultuna Campus in Uppsala. The solar panels, which will cover an area of over 7,700 square metres, will be installed on the roofs of the Soil-Water-Environment Center, the Education Building, the library, the Centre for Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science and the Ull Building, where the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) engages in education and research. The eight new solar parks, along with existing facilities, will produce 1 million kWh of solar energy for the Ultuna Campus annually. As a result, a substantial portion of the energy needs of more university buildings will be able to be met by the solar panels.
“The Ultuna Campus already has a green profile, which will now be further enhanced. Green Innovation Park, a joint initiative between Akademiska Hus and SLU, has opened the area up to green industry businesses to promote collaboration with academia. It’s obvious that our tenants are extremely involved in these issues and we think that’s great,” says Peter Bohman, Market Area Director for Akademiska Hus.
The plan is to commission the new solar park at the Ultuna Campus in the fall of 2019.
About Akademiska Hus’ energy initiatives
Akademiska Hus aims to reduce the amount of delivered energy by 50 per cent by 2025, taking 2000 as the comparison year. Work is underway around the country with many different solutions. For example, we currently receive over 20 million kWh of heat and 17 million kWh of cooling from geothermal energy, free cooling and recycling. Our solar installations generate over two million kWh of sustainable electricity at Swedish centres of education, but in 2019 this figure will rise to three million.We are also working to eliminate the CO2 footprint from energy use in the operation of our buildings and to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy within the company. In order to achieve our goals we must continuously reduce energy consumption in our existing properties and build energy efficient buildings. Through various collaborations with both customers and suppliers, we strive to achieve results that give Sweden even more sustainable campuses.