Studierendenwerk Aachen switches completely to green electricity from 2021

Around 1,800 tons of the climate relevant gas CO2 can be saved in the future in the university area in Aachen und Jülich: As part of a reassessment of its current power supply, Studierendenwerk Aachen, operator of 24 dormitories, nine dining halls and five childcare centers, will switch completely to green electricity from 2021. The electricity supplier is Stadtwerke Jülich GmbH, which will feed corresponding quantities from renewable energy sources into the public power grid to the extent of the Studierendenwerk's actual electricity consumption. In October, a green power certificate sealed the contract, which runs until the end of 2022.

Each year, Studierendenwerk consumes a total of about 5,500,000 kWh in its facilities, which are equiped with their own meters. These include university dining halls, which produce around 2.7 million meals for students each year, and dormitories, which are home to more than 5,000 residents.

In recent years, a lot has been done to reduce energy consumption in the facilities. With intelligent solutions, the Studierendenwerk's building control system has already achieved a lot. However, since considerable amounts of energy are still required to operate the dormitories, dining halls and childcare centers, Studierendenwerk has continued to look for ways to reduce its carbon footprint. By switching to green electricity, it is now ensuring that the power is generated in a climate friendly way.

The supplier is doing a lot to help. Stadtwerke Jülich GmbH obtains its green electricity certificates of origin via KlimaInvest Green Concepts GmbH. This company ensures that the certificates come from power plants that, among other things, meet the requirements of landscape, nature and environmental protection and do not operate nuclear or coal fired power plants. It was not least the price performance ratio that finally convinced the Studierendenwerk to switch over completely. The contract conditions offered are also economically justifiable.

Sustainable materials are getting more important. In the summer, for example, Studierendenwerk had a residential complex completely equiped with recycled windows. There is also a lot of potential in the other different service areas of Studierendenwerk. Work will continue on this in the future. With the switch to green electricity, the building control system is now leading the way.