Scalable pathways to net zero carbon in the UK higher education sector: A systematic review of smart energy systems in university campuses

Abstract

The following literature review sets out the state-of-the-art research relating to smart building principles and smart energy systems in UK higher education university campuses. The paper begins by discussing the carbon impact of the sector and the concept of ‘smart campuses' applied to the sector in the context of decarbonisation. Opportunities and challenges associated with integrating smart energy systems at the university campus from a policy and technical perspective are then discussed. This is followed by a review of building and campus-scale frameworks supporting a transition to smart energy campuses using the BPIE’ Smart Buildings' framework. The paper finds that the complexity of achieving net-zero carbon emissions for new and existing higher education buildings and energy systems can be addressed with the adoption of ‘smart building principles' and integrating 'smartness' into their energy systems. Several universities in the UK and worldwide are integrating smart services and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in their operations following the smart campus premise. At the building level, existing frameworks often create conceptual roadmaps for the smart building premise or propose technical implementation and assessment methods. At university campus scale, implementation typically comes through single-vector interventions, and only few examples exist that propose a multi-vector approach. Comparisons of the drivers and the decision-making process are made, with carbon and cost reduction being the most prominent from leveraging distributed energy generation. Therefore, this study identified the need for a comprehensive technical or policy framework to drive the uptake of the smart energy campus, aiming to bring together the holistic value of smart energy campuses.