Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Buildings

The need to strengthen environmental sustainability in the building sector in Egypt is of great importance. Electrical energy use in buildings in Egypt exceeds 43% of the total consumption of electricity, with an annual growth rate of 8.3%. Fossil fuels are used for 95% of the generated energy and within 10 years, Egypt will depend on imported energy sources as its production of oil will not satisfy its needs. The problem is compounded by the rapid increase in population and the escalating energy consumption per capita. The environmental problems caused by excessive use of fossil fuels as sources of energy can be easily seen in the high level of air pollution in major Egyptian cities. Environmental degradation of the majority of Egyptian cities is directly related to the increasing emissions caused by fossil fuel used in energy generation. This affects the health and productivity of a large portion of the population. The pattern of electric consumption in buildings shows that there are opportunities for 30% savings.

Egypt is rich in renewable energy resources, but the only renewable resources utilized effectively are hydro and wind energy for electricity production; the use of solar energy is still very limited. A strong emphasis on energy efficiency and renewable technologies for buildings is essential to the country's environmental sustainability, economic development and social stability.  Recently, the Egyptian ministries of electricity, housing and petroleum have shown interest in renewable energy on the levels of both generation and end-use applications, along with policies on energy efficiency and conservation.

The decision-makers in the Ministry of Housing have realized the importance of energy efficiency and renewable energy technology in buildings. A ministerial decree was issued in the 1980s to enforce the use of solar energy for water heating in residential buildings in new cities. This did not persist owing to the lack of professional experience. A major project aimed at reducing the effect of greenhouse gases was developed in 1999 by the UNDP along with the Ministry of Electricity. An important result of this project is the Egyptian Energy Efficiency Building Code for Residential Buildings. This was developed and presented in 2005, and implementation is pending. The energy efficiency codes for commercial buildings and for governmental buildings are currently in preparation.

Egypt has also been assigned to develop Energy Efficiency Building Codes for the Arab League Member States. Cairo University staff members have participated in the development of these codes. Professor Ahmed Abdin of the Department of Architecture leads the Envelope Group (the architectural section) of the codes and acts as deputy president of the Energy Efficiency in Building Code for Arab States. The implementation of these codes will require the availability of architects and engineers who have a good command of energy efficiency technologies. There is a pressing need for professionals who have sound capacity in the area of energy efficiency, building technologies, energy management, energy audits and innovative implementation of renewable energy technologies.

Cairo University is in an exceptional position to influence the country towards adopting more sustainable, environmentally friendly energy practices, thereby improving public health, addressing concerns about greenhouse gas-induced climate change, and reducing costly petroleum imports in the near future. Through its regular educational programmes, specialized training activities, and advisory assignments, Cairo University and its faculty members could influence all segments of the community: government ministries, industry, non-governmental organizations, business enterprises, other educators, and the general public. Al-Shorouk Academy has parallel potential channels to promote sustainable energy use and generation in the Country. It has developed profound affiliatiations with many academic members of other universities and institutions in Egypt. The coherent connections with the corporate sector, as well as the broader access to diverse portions of students and social partners can complement the mission reaching further segments of the community towards the promotion of efficient renewable energy applications.The Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University is the only institution in Egypt offering Diploma, Masters and PhD programmes in the field of environmental design and planning. Graduate courses in renewable energy, energy efficiency in buildings and solar energy are however mainly offered on the theoretical level only, because existing environmental laboratory at the Department of Architecture is in need of upgrading and redefining its role. This is necessary for serving as a teaching aid and for testing of the environmental efficiency of components. The Diploma, Masters and PhD programmes are currently being evaluated to meet the need for sustainable, environmentally sound development in the country. A graduate programme in energy efficiency and renewable energy in buildings requires a sustainability laboratory with hands-on laboratory components; facilities would include various renewable energy devices and an indoor twin-room environmental chamber for environmental control applications. The development of the experimental tools is essential as it paves the way to creating a research environment that fits well with the development of the planned postgraduate programmes in the Faculty of Engineering. This would attract professionals and students, and allow them to utilize these energy efficient technologies (and hence facilitate the implementation of the energy codes).

The Tempus project will facilitate the development of quality education and laboratories for faculty members and graduate students through collaboration with experts in the European Union. Students will be supported through this effort to visit consortium partner institutions or laboratories to acquire practical know-how in state-of-the-art energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and help them to identify graduate thesis topics and projects. The Faculty of Engineering has the necessary human resources to support the project.

The main objective for the proposed Tempus project is to meet both short term and long term needs for energy professionals in Egypt through the development of innovative professional Diploma and Masters engineering programmes in Cairo University, which will provide specialized training in building efficiency and renewable energy. Such programmes are well developed in European Union universities, and assistance will be essential to strengthen the programme research methods and experimental tools. This will enable students to carry out relevant and original research in renewable energy and efficient building technology. The outcome will be the creation of a knowledge base and dissemination to educational institutions throughout Egypt and the region.

This Tempus project application was proposed by Professor Ahmed Abdin, Cairo University and discussed with Assoc Professor Dan Gaffner, Lund University, when they met in a Tempus contact meeting in Cairo 2006. Prof Gaffner contacted colleagues at Lund University active in energy research programmes and Professor Jesper Arfvidsson, Dr Djamel Ouahrani and Licentiate Elisabeth Kjellsson showed interest to take part in the proposed project. A working party was set up and Prof Gaffner, Dr Ouahrani and Ms Kjellsson received a grant for a visit to Cairo in November 2006 to discuss the project. Shorouk Academy, Egypt, and Newcastle University, UK, where invited to join the consortium, which was accepted. The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden was asked to perform Inter-Tempus coaching which was accepted too. The application has then been completed in good cooperation between all involved partners.

Cairo University	Faculty of Engineering	Lund University	Tempus