Universities are unique places where ideas and
thoughts are developed and communicated, and research and teaching are integrated. From several perspectives, university campuses resemble small cities. High energy use intensity is just one example of these aspects.
During the last few decades, a great share of research about sustainability, sustainable cities, and green cities has been carried out at research institutions in universities around the world. Moreover, several pieces of research have tried to explore and investigate various solutions for sustainability, starting from their campuses. Thus, the university itself becomes a beacon of sustainability by linking research and practice on its campus and further disseminating the concept to its students, as well as to the local communities.
The University of Jordan's
Energy Research Team(ERT) is one of the leading groups that are advancing research on sustainability and contributing to the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in providing clean and renewable energy for everyone. They are also applying their research outcomes to improve the sustainability of their campus, aiming to create a sustainable, green campus.
The Energy Research Team assessed the Techno-economic impact of a grid-connected photovoltaic system for the University of Jordan. In which they focused on the investigation of different technical solutions for a grid-connected solar PV system at the University of Jordan. It delves into the performance and economic analysis of fixed, single-axis, and double-axis tracking PV modules, as well as the comparison of the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) model and the Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) engineering model for the construction of the solar PV system. The study also emphasizes the university's ambitious goal of achieving 100% electrical energy independence through renewable solar energy, specifically using photovoltaic panels.
The Energy Research Team explored the technical and economic comparison of solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) systems with conventional systems for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water in different climatic regions. The research is noteworthy for its systematic methodology for fair technical and economical comparison, evaluating systems in terms of primary energy ratio and Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE). Additionally, the paper considers a real dormitory building in five representative climatic regions, providing a practical application of the proposed methodology.
Using air conditioners and electric fans to stay cool accounts for nearly 20% of the total electricity used in buildings around the world today. Rising demand for space cooling is also putting enormous strain on electricity systems in many countries, as well as driving up emissions. Solar air conditioning is a promising technology that can reduce conventional cooling systems' environmental and economic impacts. However, its performance depends on several factors, such as solar radiation, the load profile, and the system configuration.
The Energy Research Team presents an experimental setup that uses a solar photovoltaic system to power an air conditioning unit in a research lab in Jordan. They compare the results of two scenarios: an on-grid system that can draw electricity from the grid and an off-grid system that relies solely on battery storage. They evaluate the system based on the solar fraction, energy consumption, and operational time fraction. They find that the system can achieve high solar fractions and operational time fractions on clear sky days but faces challenges on partially cloudy days. They also conduct an economic analysis that shows a favorable payback period for both scenarios. This paper demonstrates the feasibility and potential of solar air conditioning in hot and humid regions.
In the published paper “Impacts of COVID-19 on Educational Buildings Energy Consumption: Case Study of the University of Jordan", the ERT focuses on analyzing the changes in energy consumption patterns within the University of Jordan campus in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study investigates the diverse impacts of lockdown measures and the transition to online learning models on the energy usage of different building categories, such as administrative, scientific, health, and humanities schools, as well as the university hospital and dormitories. The analysis reveals a significant decrease in total electricity consumption in 2020 compared to 2019, suggesting potential energy savings and highlighting the importance of targeted energy conservation efforts tailored to specific building types. The use of Energy Use Intensity (EUI) per unit area and per student provides valuable insights for benchmarking energy usage and developing energy-efficient strategies across various building categories. The research findings contribute not only to the understanding of energy dynamics in response to global challenges but also offer practical implications for future energy management and policy-making in academic institutions.
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The energy research team has been working on various energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for the university and its branches.
- Designing, developing, optimizing, and supervising the installation of solar energy systems for the main campus in Amman, the Aqaba branch, and the Marine Science Station.
- Modeling, simulating, and testing solar air conditioning systems.
- Studying the impact of electric vehicles on the energy sector and installing EV charging stations at the campus.
The video below shows some of the solar energy projects that have been implemented at the university campuses.
References
Ayadi, O., Al-Assad, R., & Al Asfar, J. (2018). Techno-economic assessment of a grid-connected photovoltaic system for the University of Jordan.
Sustainable Cities and Society,
39, 93–98.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.02.011
Ayadi, O., & Al-Dahidi, S. (2019). Comparison of solar thermal and solar electric space heating and cooling systems for buildings in different climatic regions.
Solar Energy,
188, 545–560.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2019.06.033
Ayadi, O., Alnaser, S., Haj-ahmed, M., Khasawneh, H., Althaher, S., Alrbai, M., & Arabiat, M. (2023). Impacts of COVID-19 on educational buildings energy consumption: case study of the university of Jordan.
Frontiers in Built Environment,
9, 1212423.
https://doi.org/10.3389/FBUIL.2023.1212423
Al-Ghussain, L., Darwish Ahmad, A., Abubaker, A. M., Alrbai, M., Ayadi, O., Al-Dahidi, S., & Akafuah, N. K. (2023). Techno-economic assessment of photovoltaic-based charging stations for electric vehicles in developing countries. Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 45(1), 523-541.