The University of Canterbury (UC) has received $2.16 million in additional funding from New Zealand’s Minister of Climate Change, James Shaw, to become carbon net neutral by 2030. This will help eliminate the use of coal and reduce carbon emissions by 20,000 tonnes. Over 10 years, UC says.
“This will help the University of Canterbury (UC) expand the scope of the boiler conversion project on its Ilam campus, eliminate the use of coal and reduce carbon emissions by 20,000 tonnes over 10 years (about 2,000 tonnes per year on average). The university is committed to reducing carbon emissions and will invest a further $15.4 million in the current project,” the official notice reads.
Read also| Oxford University Shares Tricky Entrance Exam Questions, Can You Solve It?
“At the University of Canterbury, we produce world-leading research into sustainability challenges – from airborne microplastics to climate action in the Pacific,” says UC’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Sustainability, Professor Jan Evans-Freeman. He said UC will incorporate sustainability into its programs so that students are prepared for a rapidly changing world that requires immediate action. “Our new Bachelor of Social and Environmental Sustainability degree will empower students to make a difference,” she adds.
“We need to align our campus operations with the future-focused work being done in academic teaching and research. We are investing in the future, so our students are learning in facilities that are as efficient and sustainable as possible. Thanks to government funding, we can do it sooner,” says Prog Evans-Freeman.
UC received $6.24m in July last year under the government’s state sector decarbonization funding project. The funding will contribute to the conversion of existing boilers from coal fuel to wood fuel on the University’s Ilam campus. These conversions will reduce net carbon emissions from coal by 100 percent.
The heat output from wood-fueled boilers is low so the UC needs to be matched to reduce the heating load of the premises. This was achieved by converting four large UC buildings to use sustainable ground-source heat pumps (GSHPs), which extract natural heat from underground water aquifers, the notice reads. The additional funding will enable UC to take this work forward.
Read| Swiss School of Business, Upgrade jointly offer Executive MBA
New buildings, such as UC’s student union’s Hereroa and the 504-bed student housing complex Tupuanuku, are designed with greater thermal efficiency and GSHP technology. The university plans to upgrade the thermal efficiency of all large campus buildings and convert them to use GSHP heating. This work is scheduled to take 15 years.
read all breaking news, breaking news And coronavirus news Here. follow us on Facebook, Twitter And Wire.
.