Solar panels at Campus 2 – a path towards sustainability

A total of 1,812 solar panels have been installed in the Central Building (FCTUC) and the department of mechanical engineering (since 2012), Informatics Engineering (2016), Electrical and Computer Engineering (2017) and since October this year in the departments of Chemical Engineering and Civil Engineering, with a combined power of 430 kW: enough to travel five million kilometres a year on an electric vehicle. Campus 2 of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC) has just provided “all buildings with photovoltaic systems, producing electricity for grid injection and self-consumption”.

Luís Neves, UC Vice-Rector and former Dean of FCTUC who accompanied the installation process of most panels, presented the project that includes “very significant values” not only in the reduction of CO2 emissions - around 182 tons per year - as well as the expected financial return - circa 112 thousand euros, with a production of 678 000 kWh. “A very significant amount of energy,” said Neves.

The project, funded with the support of Santander Universities in the scope of an agreement with the University of Coimbra, comes to life “at a time when the world has changed,” said Adelaide Costa, Santander's commercial director. Previously, “the major challenges were internationalization and heritage”. Today “there are new challenges such as the environmental footprint and the promotion of good practice both internally and externally”. “We believe that the UC shares our concerns and puts them at the top of the agenda,” stressed Adelaide Costa.

“The UC did not wake up today concerned about environmental problems,” added the UC Rector Amílcar Falcão. The Rector showed “great satisfaction” to see the sixth block of photovoltaic panels inaugurated at Campus 2 of FCTUC, which reinforces the idea of taking the UC on a path to “create alternative solutions for Campuses 1 and 3 ”.

^{Translation by Diana Taborda}