Flagship Projects

Energy efficiency improvement model project: zero emissions

The URJC promotes the sensible use of their energy resources, which aims to show the institution’s commitment to energy issues, with the goal of creating an environmentally sustainable campus. The URJC Rectorate commits to undertake research and educational activity in all branches of science, culture, and technology with the greatest respect for the environment, and an emphasis on achieving the highest energy efficiency. To that end, the URJC has established an Energy Management System based on the requisites established in the regulation UNE EN ISO 50001:2011 (Energy management systems).

On 21st July 2014, the University’s Móstoles Campus received a Certificate for their Energy Management System in accordance with the regulation, UNE-ISO 50001:2011, issued by AENOR, the Spanish Association of Regulation and Certification. This meant their system was audited as required (See APPENDIX 16). Thanks to the different measures proposed and developed by the University Energy Efficiency Commission, responsible for the aforementioned system, a 28% reduction in electricity consumption was achieved in 2013, along with an 8% reduction in natural gas, and the subsequent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The Energy Management System is a continuously improving system with the aim of optimising energy use on the Campus and minimising consumption. The URJC Energy Efficiency Commission coordinator is Prof. Javier Dufour. In addition, the Zero Emissions project is being run at the Móstoles Campus with the company, Schneider Electric. It involves implementing a continuous and real time monitoring system of the main electric parameters (consumption, active power, reactive power…) of the buildings comprising the Móstoles Campus.
Furthermore, the University of Alcalá, the leading Spanish university in terms of sustainability for the fifth consecutive year according to the Greenmetric index, and third in the world according to Coolmyplanet, has become a benchmark for environmental policies in our country. The National Energy Commission has certified that their electricity consumption has come from renewable energies since 2010.

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The UAH has also developed a website that hosts the Environmental Sustainability Programme (http://www.uah.es/sostenibilidad/) to communicate the environmental policies promoted in the university community, which falls with the framework of the IEC “Smart Energy” mission.

Inspîre open innovation programme with Repsol

2013 Tender projects INSPIRE de REPSOL.

Obtaining specifically designed ionic liquids to improve heavy crude properties. COUSIL- PI. Baudilio Coto. (URJC). The project proposes to develop processes to improve the properties of heavy crudes and refining fractions based on Ionic Liquids. The processes aim to modify the crude, obtaining a significant reduction of viscosity and acidity, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and sulphur content. The benefits of using ILs will be: Greater selectivity and reduced product loss, the possibility of a specific design for each application, and simpler separation and increased reuse of the solvent (green solvents).

Organic Flow battery for electric vehicles with ultra-rapid recharging using conventional charging points. – PI. Jesús Palma del Val. IMDEA Energía. The main aim of this project is to develop the basic components of a new type of flow battery that can be used with an electric vehicle. A new electrolyte for the positive electrode will be developed to achieve this objective, which is based on organic redox pairs that exchange more than one electron per molecule. The project results will be used to analyse the effect of this technology on electric vehicles, as well as the technical, economic, environmental, and social implications of the technology compared to competitor technologies, determining the main advantages to its implementation, and the obstacles that need to be overcome.

IEC Clean Energies area collaborative projects

REMTAVARES Network Project: Madrid network for advanced treatments of waste water with non-biodegradable pollutants. PI: Fernando Martínez Castillejo. IEC entities involved in the project: URJC, UAH. Funding Body: Community of Madrid.

Project RESTOENE: Clean transportation fuel production from agricultural/wood and oleaginous wastes. PI: Juan Antonio Melero Hernández. IEC entities involved in the project: URJC, CIEMAT, IMDEA Energía. Funding Body: Community of Madrid.
Project SOLGEMAC: A manageable, efficient, and modular method of solar energy heat exploitation in high concentration systems. PI: Guillermo Calleja Pardo. IEC entities involved in the project: IMDEA Energía, CIEMAT, and URJC. Funding Body: Community of Madrid.

Project SOLGEMAC: A manageable, efficient, and modular method of solar energy heat exploitation in high concentration systems. PI: Guillermo Calleja Pardo. IEC entities involved in the project: IMDEA Energía, CIEMAT, and URJC. Funding Body: Community of Madrid.

Project ALCCONES: Concentrated Solar Thermal Energy Storage and Conversion. This network is coordinated by IMDEA Energía with involvement from URJC researchers. Funding Body: Community of Madrid.

Project INSPIRA1: Industrial Applications for Spirulina. This network is coordinated by the CSIC with involvement from URJC and IMDEA Energía researchers. Funding Body: Community of Madrid.

Project RESTOENE II: Clean transportation fuel production from agricultural-wood wastes. This network is coordinated by the CSIC Petrochemical and Catalysis Institute with involvement from URJC, IMDEA Energía y CIEMAT researchers. Funding Body: Community of Madrid.

Project LIGCATUP: Development of novel catalytic systems for the production of 2nd-Generation Biofuels by deoxygenation of lignocellulosic biomass processes (ENE2011-29643-C02-01). PI IMDEA Energía: David Serrano Granados. Duration: 2012-2014. IEC entities involved in the project: IMDEA Energía and the URJC. Funding Body: Community of Madrid.

Project ASBIOPLAT: Assessment of the manufacturing routes of high energy density biofuels from lignocellulosic via platform molecule synthesis (CTQ2011-28216-C02-02). PI IMDEA Energía: Javier Dufour Andía. Duration: 2012-2014. IEC entities involved in the project: IMDEA Energía and the URJC.

Advanced Biofuels Project Development of a process at pilot plant scale for the production of advanced biofuels by hydrodeoxygenation of second-generation vegetable oils and pyrolysis bio-oils (IPT-2012-0219-120000). PI IMDEA Energía: David Serrano. Duration: 2012-2015. IEC entities involved in the project: IMDEA Energía and the URJC.

 FERROVIAL RD Program

Project SMARTAPARC: The aim of the project is to develop a surface parking monitoring system through real time artificial vision applications, which is a smarter way to manage city parking infrastructures. The system must allow publishing through different means such as information panels, websites, and/or mobile applications. It will be tested in the Cultural Centre of Guadalajara. IEC entities involved in the project: CI3 and UAH.

Project E-JUNK SHOP: A technological platform for the reuse of objects deposited in Clean Points. It consists in the use of an on-line clean point as a reference location for the exchange of reusable items and the recycling of materials between the public. A Marketplace platform is developed, accessible via PC/mobile/Tablet PC, by which the user accesses the updated catalogue with reusable products. IEC organisations involved in the project: CI3 and UAH.

LIVING LAB Environmental Monitoring. A pilot project consisting of deploying low cost sensors that measure environmental parameters that comprise the air quality index. PI: Luciano Boquete and Rafael Barea. The aim is to implement the “Guadalajara Living Lab”. IEC entities involved in the project: CI3 and UAH.

CEI SMART CITIES COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS

Project PRICAM. Smart Network Programme in the Community of Madrid. Participating IEC organisations: UAH and URJC.

Project RESmart : Integration of renewable energies in smart cities (ENE2013-48690-C2-2-R). PI IMDEA Energía: Milan Prodanovic. Duration: 2014-2016. Participating IEC entities: IMDEA Energía and the URJC.

Project ROBOCITY: Applied robotics to improve public quality of life. Participating IEC entities: UAH and URJC.

URJC EUROPEAN PROJECTS

Current European Projects

URJC EUROPEAN PROJECTS

Project BACWIRE: Bacterial Wiring for Energy Conversion and Bioremediation

Project CARBO-Extreme: The terrestrial Carbon cycle under Climate Variability and Extremes a Pan-European Synthesis.