Greeting from President Prof. Matthias Willems

Initial situation

The THM buildings in Giessen and Friedberg have a total area of ​​approximately 118,473 m² (area type: NF1-9, as of 2022) and were predominantly built before 1980. While much of the building services engineering has been upgraded in recent years, many systems still offer significant potential for energy savings due to their age and current state of technology.

For example, an energy management system was implemented to enable detailed, centralized, and building-specific recording of energy consumption. Further ideas and measures are being developed through the initiation of student projects investigating energy supply and procurement at the university, as well as through the development of concepts for energy-efficient renovations within the framework of the ECO₂project.

Project goals

As the heads of state and government of over 150 countries decided in 2015, the common goal is to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius. The Hessian state government has also set itself the goal of making its state administration completely CO2-neutral by 2030._Thisalso aims Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen by 2030_CO2and is thus gradually ensuring greater energy savings, the expansion of electromobility, and the use of renewable energies. (Click to enlarge)

Source: Hessian Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (HMUKLV), https://co2.hessen-nachhaltig.de/strategie.html

Energy concept

The energy concept serves as the basis for future action plans, which are to be implemented in the short, medium or long term, in order to reduce the university's CO2_emissionsand increase energy efficiency.

It encompasses the following areas of activity:

Current measures are primarily focused on minimizing energy consumption. The expansion of renewable energy sources at both campuses has reduced the amount of green electricity purchased from external suppliers ( THM almost exclusively green electricity since 2017). Further substitution measures are planned for the future, such as the use of CO₂_-neutral biogas for heating the Friedberg campus. The promotion of environmentally friendly mobility is being driven by the expansion of bicycle parking facilities and the extension of the charging infrastructure. In the future, procurement practices and biodiversity/species conservation will play an even greater role at THM and gain in importance. The existing catalog of measures already comprises 60 initiatives, one-third of which have already been implemented. New ideas are constantly being added, often suggested by staff and students!