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Sustainability in Research Infrastructure
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Sustainability in Research Infrastructure

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 5897

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Oliver Opel

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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, Westcoast University of Applied Science, 25746 Heide, Germany
Interests: energy efficiency; renewable energy; efficient buildings; energy storage
Ms. Marlies Wiegand

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for the Transformation of the Energy System, FH Westkueste University of Applied Science, Carl-Friedrich-Benz-Straße 5, 25770 Hemmingstedt, Germany
Interests: efficient building systems; corrosion in heating and cooling circuits; microbially influenced corrosion
Prof. Dr. Gunther Gehlert

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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, FH Westkueste University of Applied Science, Fritz-Thiedemann-Ring 20, 25746 Heide, Germany
Interests: efficient buildings; quarters; sector coupling; integrated energy; hydrogen
Dr. Frank Schiller

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Guest Editor
Institute for the Transformation of the Energy System, FH Westkueste University of Applied Science, Carl-Friedrich-Benz-Straße 5, 25770 Hemmingstedt, Germany
Interests: social aspects of sustainability; acceptance; heat usage; sufficiency

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research infrastructure—that is, buildings, laboratories, large-scale instruments and research facilities, data centers and infrastructure that are needed to operate these—often produce environmental impacts, e.g., through the use of high amounts of energy, chemicals, and the production of various and sometimes complex-to-handle wastes. However, these facilities are often essential for sustainability innovation. How can environmental impact be kept low and the research framework itself excel in sustainability? In addition to technical and operational issues, organizational and social challenges are met in the everyday struggle to serve researchers and accommodate their valuable work while optimizing material as well as energy and work flows, always facing limited funding and cost restrictions.

We invite papers covering all aspects of this interdisciplinary challenge, with a special focus on planned projects, strategies, and also best practices as well as analyses of work and material flows, energy efficiency, and technical and organizational processes. We encourage submissions from researchers who also do research on how to improve sustainability at their home facility, often hand in hand with technical staff and administration. Most often, this valuable work is done away from key research activities and is more as an outcome of academics’ own responsibility rather than part of their duties in their research roles. Thus, it finally deserves to receive the attention it has not been given to date. Of course, work which focusses on institutional learning and operations excellence in sustainability aspects is also very welcome.

Prof. Dr. Oliver Opel
Ms. Marlies Wiegand
Prof. Dr. Gunther Gehlert
Dr. Frank Schiller
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • research infrastructure
  • sustainability
  • energy efficiency
  • waste management
  • institutional learning
  • sustainability transformation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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18 pages, 4519 KiB  
Article
Simultaneity in Renewable Building Energy Supply—A Case Study on a Lecturing and Exhibition Building on a University Campus Located in the Cfb Climate Zone
by Gunther Gehlert, Marlies Wiegand, Mariya Lymar and Stefan Huusmann
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12538; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912538 - 1 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2003
Abstract
A major issue in the renewable energy supply of buildings is to establish a simultaneity of the fluctuating renewable energy generation and the energy consumption in buildings. This work provides a new case for a better understanding of how to establish this simultaneity. [...] Read more.
A major issue in the renewable energy supply of buildings is to establish a simultaneity of the fluctuating renewable energy generation and the energy consumption in buildings. This work provides a new case for a better understanding of how to establish this simultaneity. Future solutions are being explored in practice on the campus of the FH Westküste University of Applied Sciences in the Lecturing and Exhibition Building (LEB). The motivation was to design and operate a case building for research in energy science for teaching the bachelor’s program Green Building Systems as well as for demonstration purposes for the general public. With a floor space of 207 m, the LEB is supplied with renewable energy from the adjacent energy park consisting of a 10 kW wind turbine and photovoltaic modules with 10 kWp. The heat and cold generation system consists of two reversible heat pumps: one is an air–water heat pump with approx. 7 kW heating and 6 kW cooling power, and the second is a brine–water heat pump with approx. 8 kW heating power and a depth of the two boreholes of 80 m. To match the energy generation and the energy consumption, different kinds of storage units, i.e., batteries with 3 × 8 kWh and storage tanks with 1000 L heat storage and 600 L cold storage, were installed as well as a smart automation system with a database. This paper evaluates measurement data from 2021. It is demonstrated that a fully renewable energy supply of the building is possible for most of the time from spring to autumn. In winter, an additional long-term energy storage, e.g., hydrogen, is necessary for certain days. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Research Infrastructure)
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25 pages, 3673 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Energy Efficiency Measures’ Impact on Energy Performance in the Educational Building of Kazakh-German University in Almaty
by Nassipkul Dyussembekova, Nazym Temirgaliyeva, Dias Umyshev, Madina Shavdinova, Reiner Schuett and Damesh Bektalieva
Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 9813; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169813 - 9 Aug 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2646
Abstract
As climate change concerns are rising rapidly, energy efficiency promotion and implementation could be sustainable solutions within energy transition. In this context, buildings, including educational ones, play an important role in reducing energy needs and promoting energy efficiency since they account for a [...] Read more.
As climate change concerns are rising rapidly, energy efficiency promotion and implementation could be sustainable solutions within energy transition. In this context, buildings, including educational ones, play an important role in reducing energy needs and promoting energy efficiency since they account for a significant share of the total energy consumption. As a case study for this research, the educational building of Kazakh-German University was selected. Following the national and international building standards, energy performance parameters were estimated. Current heat losses and performance have been estimated as baseline scenario settings. The impact of retrofitting measures on energy efficiency performance of the buildings under the four scenarios was calculated. Under the minor scenario, retrofitting interventions will lead to annual energy savings of 36.9 kWh/m2 and a 48% CO2 emission reduction, whereas under the major scenario, the annual energy savings will increase to 77.76 kWh/m2 and a nearly 82% CO2 emission reduction. The integration of a solar thermal system with capacity 400 kWh, assuming that the heat demand was reduced under the minor retrofitting scenario, can decrease heat energy consumption and CO2 emissions to 35%. As upfront costs of the energy efficiency measures are high, a carbon offset mechanism could facilitate the implementation of university building modernization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Research Infrastructure)
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