Advalvas
Summary
For the second time in a row, SustainaBul proclaimed VU Amsterdam as the Netherlands’ most sustainable university. Oddly enough, there is not a single solar panel on campus, even though placing them should be a no-brainer: it’s sustainable, according to the Dutch Consumers’ Association you earn back the investment in an average of seven years, and as a university you can exhibit your sustainable ambitions. But despite the empty roofs on the VU campus – which seem to be begging for solar panels – the university is still without solar power.
The blue-green roofs have their purpose, but those who view the campus square from the fifteenth floor of the main building see that there are still plenty of empty roofs left for solar panels. Why are there none on those roofs? Franc van Nunen, head of the Facility Campus Organisation (FCO), does not seem to be against solar panels but explains that VU Amsterdam had a different focus. “Last period, we focused on sustainability by generating less electricity with gas and purchasing fully renewable energy. We are also renovating real estate and we’re already cooling and heating our newest buildings with underground thermal energy storages and district heating.”
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