O Sustainable Campus project began a series of lectures on the importance of the rational use of electricity at the university. The first activity was held on Friday (11), in the auditorium of the School of Corporate Education (Educorp), with professor José Tomaz Vieira Pereira, from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Interdisciplinary Center for Energy Planning (Nipe).
The audience, made up of representatives from various administrative, teaching and research units, attentively followed José Tomaz Pereira's presentation on energy generation and its transformations. The professor presented concepts, with more technical questions linked to thermodynamics, and relating it to its use and available sources. According to José Tomaz Pereira, it is important that the energy issue is looked at from the user's point of view. "There's no point in tinkering with equipment if we don't create a culture of knowledge about the use of energy."
José Tomaz Pereira also commented on the relationships between energy sources, the care that users must take for correct use, and how energy is linked to environmental, social and ecological systems. "Regardless of your wishes, when you tamper with energy we affect the three systems, impacting sustainability, our lives and those of other beings."
The Sustainable Campus lecture cycle schedule will continue on June 7th, with a presentation on the project's initiatives, with professor José Luiz Pereira Brittes, from the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FCA). And on June 14th, the theme of the third lecture will be on generating electricity from the use of solar panels, with Marcelo Gradella Villalva, from the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering (FEEC). All activities will take place at 14 pm, in the Educorp auditorium.
The result of a partnership between Unicamp and Companhia Paulista de Força e Luz (CPFL Energia), the Sustainable Campus project aims to establish an energy management and efficiency model that can be replicated in other higher education institutions in the country. Started in January 2018, the program should last 36 months, aiming to achieve gradual savings in electricity consumption and expenses on the Barão Geraldo campus. The goal is to save R$1 million/year at the end of the project.
"The project encompasses initiatives aimed at the use of new efficient technologies and consumption monitoring, improving the management of energy use on campus”, explains the Sustainable Campus project coordinator Luiz Carlos Pereira da Silva. "The main objective of this cycle of lectures is to raise people's awareness, so that, combined with the use of new technologies, we can achieve the objectives of conservation and energy efficiency at Unicamp".
Still in its infancy, the Sustainable Campus project is already showing positive results in some of the first buildings in which some initiatives began to be carried out. Meters were installed in the two Banco do Brasil branches on campus to monitor consumption, and energy wastage was found in these locations.
"Some actions have already been taken in these locations and resulted in energy savings. The branches have a large wing of ATMs that are available after hours and on weekends. The door would lock open and increase air conditioning consumption. When a rubber limiter was installed on the floor to prevent the door from blocking, a reduction in consumption of around 200 to 300 kWh per day was observed", says Luiz Carlos Pereira da Silva.
In addition to the series of lectures, the Sustainable Campus program has eight active subprojects, such as the implementation of a mini intelligent data center for consumption and operation of electrical networks, a photovoltaic generation laboratory and energy efficiency projects. The implementation of an electric circular bus is also being planned soon, with a charging station and its own energy generation, in partnership with the company BYD.
