Assessment of Carbon Neutrality and Sustainability in a University Campus through Evaluation of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Potential of Academic Buildings /

Abstract

Energy management in educational institutes needs to be improved in order to enhance their sustainability performance thus reducing the environmental footprint. This work aims to address this issue by conducting energy audits of academic buildings in a university campus located in Islamabad. These audits are conducted to analyze energy consumption of buildings and identifying possible sources of energy wastage and inefficient practices. As a result, measures were proposed to reduce electricity and fuel usage which will provide savings in operating costs of a building. Grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are designed using HelioScope software for rooftops and parking lots of buildings to meet their electricity demand. Key performance metrics evaluated are monthly energy generation, performance ratio and kWh/kWp. Financial analysis of these PV systems is carried out using System Advisor Model (SAM) to calculate payback period, net present value and levelized cost of electricity. The results indicate that the proposed PV systems can meet a significant portion of the electricity demand of each building and have relatively short payback periods. Offsetting expensive grid electricity, most of which comes from thermal powerplants, will provide both environmental and economic benefits to the university.