Sustainable, Certified Energy Management

For years, as the operator of the Berlin-Buch campus, Campus Berlin-Buch GmbH (CBB) has systematically focused on energy efficiency. Nevertheless, there are still possibilities on the campus to save energy and  reduce carbon dioxide emissions by switching to renewable energy sources. In order to determine and exploit this potential, the CBB has independently developed and introduced an energy management system. This system has now been adapted to the renewed standard DIN EN ISO 50001: 2018. This process was funded by the Berlin Sustainable Development Program (BENE), which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The aim of the program is to sustainably and profitably support the reduction of CO2  emissions in the commercial and public sectors in order to reconcile economic growth and resource conservation and to sensitize everyone involved to the topic of energy efficiency. The ecological structural change is to be accelerated and the quality of life and the environment in Berlin to be improved through an environmentally friendly infrastructure.

Following the revision of the standard in 2018, the new criteria, valid from 2019, were applied for the first time in the region on the Buch campus. The CBB was successfully supported by the network "green with IT" and other specialist service providers. The certification process was completed by the European cooperative verico SCE, which is accredited for this purpose, in October 2019. CBB received a certificate valid for three years.

As part of the certification, a high-level structure was established – a basic framework for the implementation of standardized processes in the management system. This structure also facilitates the link with other building operators on the campus and in the district, for example. In addition, key energy-relevant factors in the BiotechPark were analyzed – from building technology to the supply of district heating. The existing digital meter management formed a very good basis for recording the key energy figures of laboratories, offices or cooling areas in the BiotechPark in a differentiated manner and comparing them with other locations.

As part of the certification, a high-level structure was established and energy-relevant factors were analyzed in the BiotechPark, from building technology to the supply of district heating. This has resulted in pilot projects: In cooperation with the Technical University of Berlin, tests are being carried out in buildings of the biotech park to see how heat transfer can be optimized using self-learning algorithms. A digital simulation of the local refrigeration system is also being tested in order to optimize its operation. By using modern equipment or retrofitting it with modern technologies, the campus could save around 460,000 kilowatt hours from 2021. That corresponds to around 152 tons of CO2.

The certification of Campus Berlin-Buch GmbH as part of the BENE project was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).