Page 11 - TU Dresden Sustainability Strategy 2023-2030

Energy, mobility, and the environment

One focus is on energy, mobility, and environmental research with a high development
potential across all areas and faculties. The strong roots of TU Dresden in its region are
evident in many projects: Research results are tested and applied directly in Dresden’s urban
space or in the region. Existing expertise can be seen in a variety of research projects and
fields.

The building-related sector is a key lever for municipal climate protection. In the
NeutralPath cooperation project with the state capital of Dresden, climate-neutral
energy-supply technologies are being tested in two residential districts of the city:
This shows how the sustainable refurbishment of existing buildings, resource-conserving
new construction, and the conversion of the energy supply can be carried out in a
climate-friendly and affordable way.

The city also became an object of research in the HeatResilientCity research project, a
joint project between the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development
(IOER), TU Dresden, HTW Dresden University of Applied Sciences, and the state capital of
Dresden. Based on research findings, stakeholders are empowered to implement effective,
social, and needs-based measures for adapting to the summer heat. The project was awarded
the German Sustainability Award for Research in 2022 as a significant contribution to a
heat-resilient city.

The collaborative project OLGA involving the city, state, and other participants, is
intended to optimize land use along water bodies and on agricultural land, and to promote
regional value creation in the agricultural and food industry in the Dresden region. Various
partners of the state capital Dresden, TU Dresden, and the Dresden environmental
center Umweltzentrum Dresden are working together to train regional stakeholders in the
development of practical solutions for the sustainable use of land and resources, and to build
up urban-regional cooperation in the Dresden region.

A beacon of climate-conscious construction at TU Dresden with the potential to become a
game changer is the high-tech material carbon concrete. In this, the classic reinforcing steel
is replaced by carbon fibers. Thanks to the corrosion resistance and the lower concrete cover
required, enormous amounts of energy are saved during production, and CO2 emissions as
well as transportation costs are significantly reduced.

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