Smart and Sustainable Campus - IPVC S2C
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08 June 2022Located in Alto Minho (Portugal), the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (IPVC) comprises six Schools offering undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses, some focusing on energy and climate-action related issues, often delivered in collaboration with national and international polytechnics and universities. It also offers Master’s courses and specialist subject-matter courses. The Polytechnic Institute has sought to create a Sustainable and Inclusive Campus. To achieve such aim, IPVC has implemented several projects that promote water and energy efficiency, efficient energy production, sustainable mobility, and circular economy presented below.
Buildings
Supported by PO SEUR - Operational Programme for Sustainability and Efficient Use of Resources, IPVC has invested over €2.5 million to improve its buildings’ overall environmental footprint. Increased energy efficiency; improved thermal comfort; increased renewable energy production for self-consumption; improved indoor air quality; reduced fossil fuels consumption; reduced monthly utility bills (up to 50%); removal of asbestos; reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, are some of these projects’ achieved results.
Mobility
IPVC has implemented the U-Bike and BUS-Académico projects, targeted at all community members, which aim to reduce fossil fuel consumption and GHG emissions. The first, focused on the use of electric bicycles as a means of transportation, promotes soft mobility whilst encourages healthier lifestyles. The latter provides a low-cost transport service and encourages the use of public transports, covering Alto Minho’s 10 municipalities and connecting 17 locations to all 6 IPVC schools. Recently, with the support of the Environmental Fund, old and polluting diesel vehicles were replaced by electric vehicles, and electric chargers were installed.
Resource efficiency
Supported by EEA Grants Portugal Programme, IPVC is implementing the Refill_H2O project, which aims at eliminating the use of plastic water bottles on the IPVC Campus. This awareness raising pilot project foresees the design and development of an interactive smart and eco-friendly bottle that communicates with intelligent water refill stations, thus encouraging both behavioural change towards sustainability among its users and reduction of plastic consumption in bars, canteens, and residences within the IPVC premises.
Awareness raising
5 of the 6 IPVC’s Eco-Schools were awarded by ABAE, highlighting the impact of awareness raising on environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, and waste management on the academic community.
Monitoring
In 2015, IPVC started a pilot project to automate control and monitor of its thermal power plant and of lights. In 2016, the 1st Annual Report on Energy and Water was produced to assess the weaknesses in the consumption management, and consequently to promote the replacement of inefficient light bulbs with LED, to replace and modernize high energy consumption equipment, and to boost renewables. In 2020, this monitoring system was upgraded, and a new online platform was launched, enabling real-time energy consumption measurement, both of lighting systems and of the thermal power plant.
IPVC has participated in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking initiative since 2018, having been ranked, in 2020, in the 172nd world position and 2nd amongst the Portuguese academies - IPVC stands out for its high score in the “Infrastructure and Energy” and “Climate Change” indicators, being the highest-ranked higher education institution at the national level.
Submitted by Hélène Mazaleyrat on