Affordable and Clean Energy

7.2.2. Upgrade buildings to higher energy efficiency: Have plans to upgrade existing buildings to higher energy efficiency

AASTMT Energy Saving and Emissions Reduction Plan in 2021/2022

To combat high energy usage, AASTMT Energy Research Unit and Energy Management Committee put forward several strategies to reduce and rationalize electrical consumption in AASTMT campuses which primarily include upgrading and renovating buildings to follow higher energy-efficiency schemes.

Energy saving and emissions reduction plan 2021/2022 Report on the AASTMT news page.

AASTMT energy saving and emissions reduction plan for 2021/2022.

These measures include:                                                                                                                  

  1. Replacing the light bulbs, and spotlights located on the roofs of buildings and on the roads with energy-saving LED lighting to more than 90% replacement and towards 100% replacement in 2023.
  2. Replacing (100) spotlights for all electric poles and modifying the number of 17 triple poles for LED lighting in front of the entrances of the marine buildings, and the bus station.
  3. Online regular monitoring of energy consumption and determining load priorities for efficient energy management.
  4. Determine buildings that need restoration and renovation like Building 1- Miami Campus (plan 2023)
  5. Operating Building B in College of Engineering and Technology with Full capacity using energy-efficient technologies.
  6. Installing energy-efficient VRF system for central air-conditioning systems and VSD for local ones in Pharmacy College Building and College of Engineering and Technology- Building B.
  7. A solar power station with a capacity of 50 kilowatts has been installed in the seventh engineering building.
  8. Solar heaters have been installed to replace the electric heaters in the College of Pharmacy and will be applied to students’ dorms.
  9. Increasing awareness regarding energy rationalization and conservation plans among AAST staff, students, administrators, and technicians through campaigns and initiatives: EVENTS on the AASTMT news page [3]
  10. Spreading instructions and directions towards energy conservation as per the letter addressed to all AASTMT campuses from the AASTMT president [4] on September 2022 ​​​​​​​

AASTMT ENERGY REPORT 2021/2022 for all Alexandria campuses

Effects of AASTMT efforts towards energy saving are verified by AASTMT ENERGY REPORT 2021/2022 for all Alexandria campuses.

ENERGY REPORT AASTMT Alexandria campuses-2022 on the AASTMT web page

This can be summarized as follows; Calculating and analyzing energy consumption and load demand in AASTMT Alexandria campuses during period from 2018 till 2022 as shown in Figure 1, it is noticed that the highest consumption was in 2018 with total 12698059 kWatt.hr before the pandemic year 2020 which witnessed the least consumption due to off-campus period. Then, after returning on-campus, the consumption increased gradually till reaching 11257258 kWatt.hr (40526.137 GJ) in 2022 where campuses were working full capacity. It is clear that despite the full capacity operation, facility expansions, and new building establishment, there was a reduction in energy consumption by about 11.35% in 2018 as shown in Table 1 due to the applied energy conservation plan.

Also, this can be verified by the following report.

Carbon Footprint Estimation and Reduction Project in the AASTMT Campus towards developing a Model for Promoting Sustainable Development Goals (Green Campus)

This project provides a detailed analysis of energy consumption and resulting carbon emissions in AASTMT. It includes data on energy consumption from various sources, including electricity, natural gas, gasoline, and diesel fuel. The report also highlights various measures that have been implemented to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions on campus, such as the substitution of conventional lighting fixtures with energy-efficient LED lights, the installation of air conditioning systems that prioritize energy conservation, and the establishment of a solar power station.  Overall, the report serves as a valuable resource for understanding the environmental impact of energy consumption in AASTMT and provides a foundation for future efforts to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable energy use on campus.

As per the Carbon Footprint Estimation and Reduction Project, calculations were made to evaluate carbon emissions per meter square (kg CO2-e/m2) in Alexandria campuses for the years 2018 to 2021 as presented by Table 2 and Figure 2.  There was a decrease in kg CO2-e/m2 in 2020 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in 2021 there was a decrease in emissions than that in year 2018 and 2019 due to energy consumption reduction as well as diversion to clean energy. ​​​​​​​

In conclusion, AASTMT measures towards energy saving and clean energy resulted in significant energy cost savings, underscoring the economic as well as environmental benefits of such initiatives i.e. almost 11.4 % savings in the energy consumption cost (LE) / in year 2022 and 4.26 (kg CO2-e/m2) emissions per square meter which is less than in year 2019 and 2018 (There was a significant decrease in energy consumption and kg CO2-e/m2 in 2020 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic).

Carbon Footprint Report