“University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan and SDGs Compliance in Energy Conservation in the Post-Pandemic Time Period”

Abstract

Although by the end of 2021 the major negative impact of COVID-19 had diminished around the world, the pandemic has still not subsided in its real sense. People are being affected and even dying even today, due to COVID-19. To-date (22 August 2022) there were 596 million people effected by the Corona virus (COVID-19) and registered deaths by this disease were 6.45 million globally. By now, a large part of the world population has been inoculated against this disease and even booster doses were also administered to the population at large. In Pakistan till today (22 August 2022) there were 1.57 million cases of the disease and a total of 33,555 deaths.The objective of the study is to compare the energy of University of Central Punjab (UCP) during the pandemic period (April 2020 to June 2021) when UCP was teaching online with data taken after the reopening of the university during the post-pandemic period (June 2021 till July 2022) and relate it to the compliance by UCP in line with SDG framework. Source of the data is the administrative database of University of Central Punjab as well as the internet sources on these issues. Theoretical base would remain the SDG framework and the UI Green Metric World University Rankings framework in regards to this paper.SDG Goal 7 is “Affordable, Reliable and clean energy for all”, with 5 targets. UCP is a SDG’s compliance university and is streamlining its energy usages in such a way that it tends to minimize the usage of fossil fuel and the maximum usage of solar energy for its energy needs so that both cost of energy (electricity) is minimized at the same time the usage of clean renewable energy is increased, thus help protect the environment from pollutants.Due to partial lockdown UCP went into online teaching from April 2020 till June 2021. The university reopened for physical on-campus classes in June 2022. The post pandemic period for UCP is June 2021 to-date (July 2022). UCP data shows that between the period January to March 2020 (before the lockdown due the pandemic), the energy usage of UCP was 694,144 KWH, while in the same period (January to March 2021) when the university went into online teaching the total energy consumption of UCP came down to 518,891.3 KWH or a reduction by 175,253 KWH. The post-pandemic period when the university has again gone into physical on-campus teaching the university energy usage has increased, but due to efficient and sustainable methods of energy usage, consumption and production in place where UCP has three sources of electricity production, (a) the electricity grid, (b) solar panels covering all the constructed areas of the university and (c) on-campus electricity generators run on fossil fuels. UCP has reverse metering agreement with the LESCO grid and therefore not only produces a significant amount of electricity through its Soler panels, but also feeds the grid from its excess production of soler energy, reducing its dependence on the grid. At the same time due to sustainable usages, UCP’s dependence on the generators using fossil fuels has declined. The use of the generators when in the evening and the night the classes are not held, is nil usage, thus saving the environment because of its minimum usage of fossil fuels.