AASTMT has an energy efficiency plan in place to reduce overall energy consumption

Annually AASTMT Energy Management Committee updates its plan to continuously execute measures towards further consumption and emissions reduction, renovate infrastructure towards higher energy efficiency and expand installations of renewable energy. To evaluate these measures, annual insights of university energy consumption and emissions are compared to check the progress towards Green Sustainable Energy. Related AASTMT annual plans, insights and progress reports are found on AASTMT webpage in the link below.

AASTMT Annual Energy Plans on AASTMT webpage

AASTMT Annual Insights on AASTMT webpage

AASTMT Annual Energy Progress Reports on AASTMT webpage

2022/2023 AASTMT Plan to reduce energy consumption

In 2022/2023, Energy Management Committee put forward several strategies to reduce and rationalize electrical consumption in AASTMT campuses. These measures are detailed in AASTMT 2022/2023 Plan towards Clean Sustainable Energy and their effectiveness are validated in AASTMT 2022/2023 Energy Progress Report, as summarized below.

1. Towards Energy Saving

• Smart building management systems, applied in AASTMT, plays a critical role in improving energy saving. These systems allow online regular real-time monitoring, as shown in Figure 1, which helps determining load priorities for efficient energy management and optimal energy use in major campus buildings, thus reducing electricity waste and improving operational efficiency.

• Increasing awareness regarding energy rationalization and conservation plans among AAST staff, students, administrators and technicians through energy-related campaigns, initiatives and seminars as presented in the Events Section at sdg7 webpage:

Energy-related Events on AASTMT webpage

• Spreading instructions and directions towards energy saving and conservation as per the letter addressed to all AASTMT campuses from AASTMT president.

Letter addressed to all AASTMT institutes from AASTMT president regarding energy saving

2. Towards Higher Energy Efficiency

Upgrading AASTMT infrastructure to higher energy efficiency, contributes noticeably in reducing energy consumption. Thus, AASTMT 2022/2023 measures in this aspect are discussed in details in AASTMT 2022/2023 Plan towards Clean Sustainable Energy and summarized below .

• Completing the replacement of lighting lamps and working with LED lamps as was planned for 2022/2023, where replacement rate rises to more than 95%, leading to a significant reduction in electricity consumption.
• Applying motion-sensor lighting in common areas.
• Increasing the operating efficiency of many air-conditioning systems (energy-efficient HVAC systems).
• Applying regular electrical maintenance procedures.

To evaluate AASTMT 2022/2023 energy saving procedures, energy usage in all AAST campuses all over Egypt (Alexandria, Aswan, Port-Said, Alamin, Sheraton, Smart village and Dokki) are compared in 2022 and 2023 as shown in Figure 2 and detailed in AASTMT 2022/2023 Insights .

It is noted that the average reduction of energy consumption in 2023 compared to 2022, in all AASTMT campuses except Alamin Campus, is 2.5% while the average reduction all over the campuses including Alamin is around 2%. This can be related to the fact that Alamin Campus is a new campus and the capacity of the campus increases regularly each year until the full occupation. Energy consumption reduction in 2023 compared to 2022 validate the effectiveness of AASTMT plan towards energy saving and efficiency.

Analyzing energy consumption in each AASTMT campus in 2022 and 2023, as shown in Figure 3, it is clear that Alexandria campus experiences the highest energy consumption due its multiple branches and relatively larger area and bigger number of students and staff. That’s why, as discussed in 7.2.2. indicator, most renovations and energy conservation procedures were executed for Alexandria campus.

Hence, energy consumption of Alexandria different branches will be further analyzed to again verify the effectiveness of these procedures.

Figure 4 shows the energy consumption in the entire Alexandria Campus within the period (2018-2023). It  is clear that the maximum consumption was in 2018 with a full load of 12,698,059 kWh before Covid19, then the lowest load in 2020 during Covid 19, then it gradually increased until all the branches returned to their full load in 2022 with a value 11,257,258 kWh, as well as 2023, with a value of 10,972,312 kWh.

Note that despite the return of total operation and the increase in expansions and new buildings, there is a decrease in the energy usage by 13.59%, in 2023 compared to 2018. Moreover, compared to consumption in 2022, a decrease in energy consumption in 2023 is evident by about 2.5% as shown in Figure 5 which verifies the effectiveness of AASTMT plan and measures towards energy saving and efficiency in AASTMT entire Alexandria campus among all its branches.

2021/2022 AASTMT Energy Saving and Emissions Reduction Plan

Moreover, 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 as per  AASTMT Energy Saving and Emissions Reduction Plan in 2021/2022

These measures include: 

• Regular generalizations, and directions initiated in the AASTMT towards energy saving and conservation as per the letter addressed by AASTMT president on September 2022 to all AASTMT campuses.

Letter addressed to all AASTMT institutes from AASTMT president regarding energy saving

• Increasing awareness regarding energy rationalization and conservation plans among AAST staff, students, administrators and technicians through campaigns and initiatives and energy-related events. ​

EVENTS on the AASTMT news page​.

• Replacing light bulbs, spotlights located on the roofs of buildings and in the roads with energy-saving LED lighting to more than 90% replacement and towards 100% replacement in 2023. 
• 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. 
• Online regular monitoring to energy consumption and determine load priorities for efficient energy management. 
• Specifying buildings that need restoration and renovation like Building 1- Miami Campus (plan 2023). 
• Operating Building B in College of Engineering and Technology with full capacity using energy-efficient technologies. 
• Installing energy efficient VRF system for central air-conditioning systems and VSD for local ones in Pharmacy College Building and in College of Engineering and Technology- Building B. 
• Installing a solar power station with a capacity of 50 kilowatts in the seventh engineering building. 
• Installing solar heaters to replace the electric heaters in the College of Pharmacy and will be applied to students’ dorms. 

Calculating and analyzing energy consumption and load demand in AASTMT Alexandria campuses during period from 2018 till 2022 as shown in Figure 6, 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, facilities expansions and new building establishment, there is reduction in energy consumption by about 11.35% than in 2018 due to the applied energy conservation plan.