UG connects buildings to sustainable heat grid WarmteStad

On Monday 7 April, Hans Biemans (University of Groningen), alderman for Energy Transition Philip Broeksma and Dick Takkebos (WarmteStad), together with Hanze and UG students, celebrated an important step towards a gas-free Zernike Campus. Over the next two years, WarmteStad will expand its public heat network on the Campus, allowing the University to connect its buildings on the Campus to sustainable heat. The three administrators unveiled the “warm future message” for the Zernike Campus on this occasion. This message was placed on a heat pipe and will be buried under the Campus like a time capsule.

Groningen approach works

The time capsule marks both an important step in making the Campus more sustainable and the joint ambition to make Groningen carbon-neutral. Philip Broeksma, alderman of the municipality of Groningen: "This connection of the UG to our public heat network is a big step in this process. And shows the Groningen approach works. The heat grid is becoming increasingly sustainable, delivering heat at the best possible price and with control in our own city. The UG is leading by example. This is how we are building a future-proof, gas-free city for everyone."

UG: annual savings of 3 million kilos CO₂ emissions

Over the next two years, the UG will connect nine buildings and three tennis domes to the public heat grid. From 2024, the heat network will also be fed with (summer) solar heat from solar thermal park Dorkwerd. This was an additional reason for the UG to make the switch to WarmteStad. With the connection, the UG saves 3 million kilos of CO₂ emissions a year. Together with an adjusted heating policy and the demolition/reconstruction of Nijenborgh 4, there is an annual reduction of almost 80 per cent in emissions compared to 2023. UG director Hans Biemans: "By connecting some of our buildings to the Groningen heat network, we are taking an important step in our sustainability policy. For the UG, this means annual CO₂ savings and a reduction in gas consumption equivalent to the emissions and consumption of 1300 Groningen households. This is substantial progress in our sustainability ambitions."

Everything comes together at Zernike Campus

In 2017, Warmtestad started building the heat network on the Zernike Campus. Since then, the city's first WarmteCentrale has been built on the Campus in 2022 and more and more companies and educational institutions are switching from natural gas to Groningen's sustainable heat network. For a few years now, the UG and WarmteStad have been talking to each other about this. Dick Takkebos: "Once we juxtaposed our thinking around sustainable heat, it was nice to find that we were on the same page. For WarmteStad, this moment is extra special because everything comes together on the Zernike Campus. Our sustainable sources are on the Campus such as the WarmteCentrale and Zonnewarmtepark Dorkwerd, we are expanding the heat network here and we are now connecting a major user of the Campus. So we are heating a large institute ín the city with heat from our own environment, generated in a way that is good for climate and living environment."