Universities are the beating heart of the territories, engines of innovation and economic development. Hence the importance of drastically reducing energy consumption, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and saving on operating costs linked to the management of the energy used to power the classrooms, laboratories, libraries and offices used by the academic community. These are the objectives of a project carried out in the Polytechnic University of the Marche of Ancona and the Universities of Macerata, Urbino and Camerino: with around 14 million euros distributed across 12 projects, the Region has in fact launched a series of initiatives aimed at encouraging the rebirth of the earthquake-stricken areas, so as to also give new impetus to the growth of the entire region.
The flagship is the over 4.5 Gigawatt hours saved every year, which will allow us to reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by over 2 thousand tons. Important numbers – calculated by estimating an emission factor of 0.5 kg of CO2 per kilowatt hour (KWh) – which summarize the relevance of the initiative undertaken in recent years by the Central Italian Region to improve the energy efficiency of university buildings. The resources of cohesion allocated – assigned on the basis of the priorities identified by the universities themselves and the consequences suffered following the 2016 earthquake – are part of the overall funding of 248 million euros of Axis 8 of the regional Operational Program (POR) Marche FESR 2014-2020 Investments were concentrated more in the crater area, with almost two thirds of the total amount assigned to the universities of Camerino (5,250,000 euros) and Macerata (approximately 3,485,000 euros).
The works, co-financed in smaller parts also by the Universities, were started between 2018 and 2020. In November 2022 the works were completed at the University of Ancona, which involved the Trifogli complex, home of the Faculty of Engineering , and the teaching staff of the Faculty of Agriculture. Here the energy efficiency improvement also included the construction of a 160 kWp photovoltaic park. The improvement of the energy efficiency of the universities of Urbino, Camerino and Macerata, still in progress, includes thermal insulation, the installation of high energy efficiency, the optimization of heating and cooling systems and the installation of renewable energy systems.
The intervention affects not only the buildings directly damaged by the earthquake, but also those which, thanks to works to improve energy and anti-seismic performance, will be able to contribute to “strengthening the image of a region undergoing redevelopment”.
The project is carried out with the contribution of the European Commission. The authors of the articles are the creators and responsible for the editorial contents. The Commission cannot be held responsible for any use made of the information and opinions reported.
