Page 11 - Sustainability Strategiy 2023 - 2030 | TU Dresden

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 refurbish-
ment 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 op-
timize 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.

The world’s first Carbon-concrete building CUBE opened at the end of 2022. This is an impressive
demonstration of how this building material can be used directly in practice.

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