UZH tackles energy centre at Irchel campus

Zürich, March 2024

Die Universität Zürich (UZH) hat den Startschuss für die Planung der ersten Energiezentrale des Anergienetzes auf dem Campus Irchel gegeben. Diese erste Phase soll in Zusammenarbeit mit der Ingenieurfirma Willers auch konzeptionelle Grundlagen für künftige Energiezentralen entwickeln.

UZH has started planning the first energy centre of the anergy network on the Irchel campus. According to a press release, the first phase will focus on planning the energy centre for Cluster 4, for which UZH is working with the international engineering company J. Willers Engineering, which is based in Rheinfelden AG and specialises in high-tech buildings and infrastructure. Commissioning is planned for 2028.

UZH is still one of the top 20 energy consumers in Zurich. However, it is striving to play a pioneering role in sustainable operation. To this end, the university wants to organise its energy consumption in a way that conserves resources and make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions.

To this end, the heating and cooling requirements of the campus are to be covered by four energy centres and corresponding geothermal probe fields by 2050. Ultimately, the aim is for UZH to be able to cover its heating requirements with waste heat from cooling production. This waste heat is to be fully utilised and stored seasonally.

UZH cites low life cycle costs, high operational and supply reliability and ease of maintenance as the main objectives of this project. Finally, the conceptual basis for the other planned energy centres is to be developed in this first phase.

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