Annual Energy Report 2021: 100 per cent green energy

The 2021-2024 energy policy plan aims to achieve an annual absolute energy saving of 4.1 per cent. This was not achieved in 2021 because it was a cold year. Despite the use of sustainable ground heat, which has been reducing gas consumption for years, the heat pumps were running harder and additional heating by gas-fired boilers was needed to heat the buildings. As a result, energy consumption increased for the first time in years, by more than three per cent.

The target remains unchanged: 26 percent energy savings by 2024 (compared to 2018) so that the campus can be energy-neutral by 2050. This is a realistic goal, because in the period 2022-2024 a lot of energy will still be saved through projects such as HEN++ and LED's-GO.

Solar power and wind power reduce CO2 emissions

Although energy consumption on the campus increased, a record amount of solar power was generated in the same year: 790,361 kWh. An output equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 260 households.

The sustainably generated electricity on the campus increased by no less than 238 percent due to the commissioning of the new PV installation on the Maria Montessori building. The share of electricity consumption generated on campus thus rose from 0.7 percent to 2.3 percent. This share remains low because a relatively large amount of electricity is consumed on campus.

In addition, Radboud University and Radboudumc purchased 100 per cent green electricity from wind farm Geefsweer in the province of Groningen for the first time in 2021. This further reduced CO2 emissions. After all, less fossil fuels were used in the production of electricity.

Would you like more information, facts and figures? Read the Annual Energy Report 2021 by downloading the file below.