IMPACT
‘WE’RE FOCUSING ON A MIXTURE OF PROVEN AND INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES’ THE ENERGY TRANSITION ON TU DELFT CAMPUS
TU Delft has everything needed to play an important role in the energy transition with the help of technological innovations. So, what is the university itself doing to switch to renewable energy and sustainable operations? We talk to Sustainability Coordinator Andy van den Dobbelsteen and Hubert Linssen, Sustainability Programme Manager at Campus & Real Estate (CRE), about the plans for the period ahead. Text: Merel Zeilstra
Andy van den Dobbelsteen
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ndy van den Dobbelsteen and his team have drawn up an ambitious plan to seriously reduce TU Delft’s carbon footprint and potentially even convert it into a positive climate impact. The approach is not limited to any single aspect: “If you focus on energy alone, you miss out other key areas where there is a lot to be gained. It’s also about a green campus, our food consumption and mobility.”
RENEWABLE ENERGY The transition to renewable energy was set in motion years ago. Currently, wind energy from Eneco is already being used. So, that is obviously sustainable. By 2030, TU Delft aims to use energy from renewable sources only. But its ambitions go further than that. “We’ve set ourselves the target of generating half of our energy demand on campus ourselves. Because some buildings are older and in intensive use, the demand for electricity from our buildings is relatively high. We aim to achieve our targets for generation by means of solar panels and possibly also hydrogen and synthetic methane in the future,” says Van den Dobbelsteen. Besides that, the buildings that are being renovated are becoming much more energy-efficient.”
BROAD SCOPE TO MAKE AN IMPACT Van den Dobbelsteen’s interest in a sustainable transition was given a practical boost in the Faculty of
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