Select your language

Danfoss supports initiative on sustainable and low-carbon buildings

United States. Danfoss and Pennsylvania State University in Philadelphia recently convened a workshop on the campus of the Penn State College of Engineering at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia to examine the results of a joint research and education initiative. Last year, Danfoss provided a grant to support the University's 13-week Immersive Practice in Global Sustainability Practices and launched the Cities for the Future Engineering collaborative initiative to increase the global workforce needed to support a sustainable, low-carbon community environment around the world. The workshop marked the culmination of the internship program and the Engineering Tomorrow's Cities initiative.

The project was part of Danfoss-Penn State's effort to support the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Guidelines on Energy Performance Standards in Buildings, a global initiative to foster a post-carbon economy and meet development goals. and which was based on the research and energy facility of Penn State's Living Laboratory. It was conducted under the direction of Dr. James Freihaut, professor of architectural engineering and technical director of the facility, and Dr. David Riley, director of the University's GridSTAR Center and professor of architectural engineering.

The focus of the Engineering Tomorrow's Cities initiative was the deployment of innovative technologies and designs to reduce carbon emissions and highlight the important role of engineering in creating sustainable commercial buildings and communities of tomorrow. Forty interns from 11 countries participated in the program, with research topics ranging from emission prediction to microgrid operations, energy storage for building automation and the Internet of Things as an enabling platform, construction of controls for measurement and construction of external integration conditions.

During the workshop, graduate and undergraduate students reported not only on their specific research, but also on the spirit that enriched the program: students volunteered for long hours on their university and private sector assignments and continued projects long after the formal closure of the three-month initiative.

- Publicidad -

The discussion shed light on a broader generational shift in the field. "An oil crisis was impacting the world when I started my work decades ago," Dr. Freihaut observed. "The mission was to reduce energy dependence. Now the main concerns are the climate threat, emissions reduction and greater recognition of challenges such as indoor air quality, building-wide integration, integration of grid construction, waste energy and the like. Those concerns have transformed the research agenda and, as a result, we can now do much more with much less electrical power through innovation in building controls, variable speed technologies, and improvements in equipment design that were unimaginable when I started. Taking advantage of the Internet is just beginning. And twenty years from now our research priorities will seem remote."

Briefed on the initiative, Scott Foster, director of sustainable energy at Geneva-based UNECE, observed that "the students of the Danfoss-Penn State project will seed companies around the world with the knowledge and knowledge that a new global energy future requires." Foster leads the United Nations project, noting that the goal of a low-carbon global economy presents a major scientific and educational challenge. "Much of what we need to succeed is known or above the horizon. But we have to translate that knowledge from the lab to the field and to rapidly growing population centers around the world. The work penn State and Danfoss have begun working together is a model that needs to be rolled out around the world and scaled up to match the challenge."

Duván Chaverra Agudelo
Duván Chaverra AgudeloEmail: [email protected]
Editor Jefe
Jefe Editorial en Latin Press, Inc,. Comunicador Social y Periodista con experiencia de más de 12 años en medios de comunicación. Apasionado por la tecnología. Director Académico del Congreso RefriAméricas.

No comments

• If you're already registered, please log in first. Your email will not be published.

Leave your comment

In reply to Some User
Building Automation Days 2025 in Bogota marks a milestone for the KNX standard in Latin America

Building Automation Days 2025 in Bogota marks a milestone for the KNX standard in Latin America

Colombia. With more than a hundred attendees and the participation of six high-profile exhibitors, Building Automation Days by KNX LATAM, Colombia edition, established itself as the most relevant...

Design Envelope Technology Hits 750 gpm Fire Pump Segment

Design Envelope Technology Hits 750 gpm Fire Pump Segment

Canada. In response to the growing demands of the fire protection industry, Armstrong Fluid Technology announced the expansion of its Vertical-In-Line pump line with the addition of the new 5x4x10PF...

Greenheck Launches New RV-220 Model and Expands Its Line of Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems

Greenheck Launches New RV-220 Model and Expands Its Line of Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems

United States. Greenheck announced the addition of the RV-220 to its line of dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS), a solution that responds to the growing demand for equipment with greater outdoor...

Embraco enters the HVAC market with new scroll compressors and aims to become a full-service supplier

Embraco enters the HVAC market with new scroll compressors and aims to become a full-service supplier

Brazil. Embraco announced its official entry into the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) market following the acquisition of the specialized company Xecom, and the launch of a new line...

SIGMAN GROUP and Carrier-VRF reinforce technical training in the HVAC sector in Ecuador

SIGMAN GROUP and Carrier-VRF reinforce technical training in the HVAC sector in Ecuador

Ecuador. An intensive week of technical and commercial training brought together key players in the HVAC sector in Quito and Guayaquil, thanks to the joint initiative of GRUPO SIGMAN and...

AHR Expo Mexico 2025 returns to Monterrey with its most ambitious edition yet

AHR Expo Mexico 2025 returns to Monterrey with its most ambitious edition yet

Mexico. The event returns this year to Monterrey with an unprecedented edition. The exhibition, dedicated to air conditioning, ventilation, heating, refrigeration and filtration solutions, promises...

Fujitsu Launches New AIRSTAGE Multi-Position Air Handler with R-32 Refrigerant

Fujitsu Launches New AIRSTAGE Multi-Position Air Handler with R-32 Refrigerant

United States. Fujitsu General America announced the launch of its new AIRSTAGE Multi-Position Air Handling Unit (MPAHU), designed to provide greater application flexibility by easily...

HVAC project at the Javeriana University, finalist in the CALA Awards 2025 in the HVAC category

HVAC project at the Javeriana University, finalist in the CALA Awards 2025 in the HVAC category

The HVAC system installed in the building of the Faculty of Sciences of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, in Bogotá, was selected as a finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025. The...

Concord Project in La Lima Free Trade Zone, finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025

Concord Project in La Lima Free Trade Zone, finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025

The HVAC system project carried out by MultiFRIO for the company Concord in the La Lima Free Trade Zone, in Cartago, received the final prize in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025, a...

HVAC project at the Universidad Santiago de Cali, finalist in the CALA AWARDS HVAC category

HVAC project at the Universidad Santiago de Cali, finalist in the CALA AWARDS HVAC category

The air conditioning project of the Auditorium Building and the Technology Center of the new campus of the Santiago de Cali University was chosen as a finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA...

Free Subscription
Remember Me
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
DO YOU NEED A SERVICE OR PRODUCT QUOTE?
LASTEST INTERVIEWS
SITE SPONSORS










LASTEST NEWSLETTER
Ultimo Info-Boletin