I was recently at an (online) event looking at estates. I was chairing the first half of the event and presenting in the second half. The event was entitled Next steps for university estates in the UK.

It was a really interesting online conference with a keynote from the CEO of AUDE, along with panel sessions on a range of topics. There was quite a focus on net zero and decarbonisation. I personally found the discussion on electrification of university campuses really interesting. 

Many in the sector, as part of their net zero ambitions are looking at decarbonisation of their campuses. One method is to move from oil and gas use to electric in the main for heating and hot water. Generation of electrical power can be then derived from sustainable and renewable resources such as wind and solar.

I was reminded of some of the work we did a few years ago on smart energy.

It’s in the management and storage of energy that we perhaps see the greatest opportunities for the application of intelligence. The ability to use data from a number of sources, combined with the use of the Internet of Things and an array of monitoring devices, provides a range of new possibilities.

There has been lots of work on smart energy solutions, not just for industry, but also in the home. These solutions have the ability to utilise and store solar (or other renewable) energy and then draw down for peak times, as well as understanding the impact on and balance the grid. This balancing is about moving off-peak energy generation, through storage and other means, to peak time consumption.

For example, an university campus has solar panels installed across their estate. This generates significant amounts of power, which if stored, can then be drawn down when there is demand, but no solar, such as in the evenings. A smart energy system could also use the stored energy to balance demand from the grid, as well as exporting power to the grid.

The work we did on the intelligent campus though took all this smart energy potential one step further. Currently most smart energy solutions will look at generation, storage, demand, peaks and the grid.  We did think that the issue of smart energy use is likely to be addressed not through a single solution but through the integration of a range of technologies and data collection. For example, the linking of weather forecasting data, timetabling information and event management with energy control, will allow developments such as intelligent use of energy to heat and light buildings. The forecast of an impending cold snap could allow buildings, that will be used the next day, to be warmed in advance, not only making them more comfortable but also allowing the use of “off peak” energy. Similarly, when the weather is warming, heating can be reduced beforehand. If there is a regular, predicted, energy peak for a short time, such as during a major event, power being used for air conditioning in another building might be diverted to the event location for an hour or two, smoothing out that peak demand.

The concept of the smart campus is not new, but often, as with the example of smart energy, is can be siloed to individual use cases. The intelligent campus is much more about using data to change behaviours and activities in order to be smarter about energy generation and consumption.