The Minister of Education and Science Opened the Photovoltaic Park at the UNWE

The Minister of Education and Science Prof. Dr. Galin Tsokov and the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov opened the photovoltaic park at the UNWE. The ribbon cutting ceremony was also attended by Prof. Dr. Genka Petrova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science and by the Chairman of the Council of Rectors of the Higher Education Institutions in the Republic of Bulgaria Acad. Prof. D.Sc./Med./ Lachezar Traykov.

"The UNWE is the first smart university in Bulgaria! And more importantly, it is the university that is ahead of the university community in terms of infrastructure, green energy and sustainable development. I would like to mention just one fact: 630 tonnes of carbon emissions will be saved annually by today's photovoltaic installations. If all Bulgarian universities and schools implement such systems, imagine what a great resource it is for reducing Bulgaria's carbon emissions", said the Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov. He greeted the Rector and the University Managing Body for being the first who implemented the initiative which will generate 50% of the electricity from the photovoltaic system and will free up resources to improve the quality of education for students.

Prof. Dr Galin Tsokov, Prof. Dr Dimitar Dimitrov, Prof. Dr. Genka Petrova /from the left to the right/

"The UNWE photovoltaic park is part of the university's energy efficiency programme and our sustainable development policy. The new equipment is a natural extension of our efforts towards the energy independence and a green economy that adds value to our University as well as to the environment and society. Annually, several hundred trees will be saved by this photovoltaic system, several hundred tonnes of coal will not be burnt in the atmosphere", said the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov at the opening ceremony and emphasized: "We are also grateful for the help and support of the Ministry of Education and Science which has started part of our actions with the Smart Home Programme, which includes not only photovoltaics but also the control of lighting, heating and air conditioning".

The project has been funded under an ESCO contract with Stream Group Ltd. and amounts to almost BGN 3 million. In this type of contract, the University does not pay the amount for the implementation of the public procurement, but the costs are paid through the electricity price. UNWE's two photovoltaic plants are located on the roof of the university building and on the newly built modern car park.

Monitor, part of the Smart Home system that reports the energy savings in real time

The capacity of the photovoltaic plant located on the car park is 293 MW /h/year and the plant on the roof is 657 MW /h/year, so the combined capacity of both photovoltaic plants is 950 MW /h/year. The investment is paid for by the electricity savings achieved by the plants. The two plants save 630 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.

Among the official guests were the Rector`s Managing Body of UNWE, including the Assistant Rector Prof. D.Sc./Econ./ Kiril Stoychev, who has the greatest merits to the realization of the project, managing directors of energy companies, representatives of the contractors of the project as well as the academic staff of the University.