442
A. E. Builes Vélez and P. A. Zapata Ramírez
Finally, the university begins to achieve the articulation of the teams at the headquarters campus since it has been found that the methodological approaches and the
tools used in the report are also transferable to the multi-campus units at the national
level, favoring cooperation and networking. It is necessary to continue working to
achieve a coherent and interconnected UPB multi-campus strategy in sustainability,
as a response to the expectations of interest groups that are increasingly attentive and
aware.
2. UPB internal key actions
• UPB Micro-Network
By 2050, 70% of the world’s population is projected to live and work in cities, with
buildings as major constituents. The energy consumption of buildings contributes to
more than 70% of electricity use, with people spending more than 90% of their
time in buildings. Future cities with innovative, optimized building designs and
operations have the potential to play a pivotal role in reducing energy consumption, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and maintaining stable electric-grid operations. The digital evolution presents a great opportunity to achieve the goal of
the modernization of the conventional electrical system by transforming it into a
smart grid. Smart-Grid environments are focused on creating and using information
and communication technologies to support new and potentially more sustainable
ways of producing, transmitting, distributing, and consuming electricity. They offer
the possibility of greater monitoring and control throughout the power system and,
therefore, a more effective, flexible, and lower-cost operation. The security conditions, diversity of end-use, instrumentation, and presence of the appropriate human
resource make the UPB campus headquarters a perfect scenario to implement and
appropriate in a controlled manner many of the technologies that characterize living
labs. The strategy is named the UPB Micro-Network program, and its central operation is located at the heart of UPB infrastructures, where the power distribution
network is located. The Micro-Network supports various systems, including laboratories, safety, water, food, transportation, and communication. For instance, from
the control center, real-time monitoring activities are conducted to follow the performance of the photovoltaic solar generation systems, the weather station, the electric
vehicles and cycling charging stations, and other functions vital to the university’s
community. We are also implementing a smart building technology by using information about occupant locations and activities in order to improve building efficiency
at the UPB headquarter campus (Isaac-Millán et al. 2018).
• Integral Waste Management Strategy
Waste, as a management issue, has been evident for over four millennia. Waste
management is characterized by all the activities and actions required to manage
waste, from its inception to its final disposal, and intends to reduce adverse effects
of waste on health, the environment, or aesthetics. This includes collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitoring jointly with a
regulatory framework relative to waste management (Popescu et al. 2016) (Fig. 1).
A. E. Builes Vélez and P. A. Zapata Ramírez
Finally, the university begins to achieve the articulation of the teams at the headquarters campus since it has been found that the methodological approaches and the
tools used in the report are also transferable to the multi-campus units at the national
level, favoring cooperation and networking. It is necessary to continue working to
achieve a coherent and interconnected UPB multi-campus strategy in sustainability,
as a response to the expectations of interest groups that are increasingly attentive and
aware.
2. UPB internal key actions
• UPB Micro-Network
By 2050, 70% of the world’s population is projected to live and work in cities, with
buildings as major constituents. The energy consumption of buildings contributes to
more than 70% of electricity use, with people spending more than 90% of their
time in buildings. Future cities with innovative, optimized building designs and
operations have the potential to play a pivotal role in reducing energy consumption, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and maintaining stable electric-grid operations. The digital evolution presents a great opportunity to achieve the goal of
the modernization of the conventional electrical system by transforming it into a
smart grid. Smart-Grid environments are focused on creating and using information
and communication technologies to support new and potentially more sustainable
ways of producing, transmitting, distributing, and consuming electricity. They offer
the possibility of greater monitoring and control throughout the power system and,
therefore, a more effective, flexible, and lower-cost operation. The security conditions, diversity of end-use, instrumentation, and presence of the appropriate human
resource make the UPB campus headquarters a perfect scenario to implement and
appropriate in a controlled manner many of the technologies that characterize living
labs. The strategy is named the UPB Micro-Network program, and its central operation is located at the heart of UPB infrastructures, where the power distribution
network is located. The Micro-Network supports various systems, including laboratories, safety, water, food, transportation, and communication. For instance, from
the control center, real-time monitoring activities are conducted to follow the performance of the photovoltaic solar generation systems, the weather station, the electric
vehicles and cycling charging stations, and other functions vital to the university’s
community. We are also implementing a smart building technology by using information about occupant locations and activities in order to improve building efficiency
at the UPB headquarter campus (Isaac-Millán et al. 2018).
• Integral Waste Management Strategy
Waste, as a management issue, has been evident for over four millennia. Waste
management is characterized by all the activities and actions required to manage
waste, from its inception to its final disposal, and intends to reduce adverse effects
of waste on health, the environment, or aesthetics. This includes collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitoring jointly with a
regulatory framework relative to waste management (Popescu et al. 2016) (Fig. 1).