Since September 2018, all of the electricity coming from the sockets at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus has been renewable, and we recently received the certificate to prove it. This document gives our tenants something to show their customers to prove they are using 100% renewable electricity.
Sustainability and the development of innovative, sustainable materials is one of the spearheads at our campus. If you study good alternatives to fossil fuels on a daily basis, it’s only logical that you would also want to use clean energy. Luc Lanclus, COO of Brightlands Chemelot Campus: “We purchase our energy via the Chemelot Industrial Site’s Energy Utility Support Group via a contract with DSM. DSM is officially our energy supplier because this is just how it evolved over the years. When DSM decided that all of its sites in the Netherlands should start using renewable energy, this was the opportunity for our campus to switch to 100% renewable electricity. We formed a partnership with the Bouwdokken and Krammer wind farms. They deliver energy via Eneco, which guarantees that all of the electricity at the campus is renewable; we have also received a certificate attesting to this. This gives our tenants a way to prove that they only use renewable energy.”
Practice what you preach
Compared with the Chemelot Industrial Site, Brightlands Chemelot Campus is not a large consumer of energy. “We still believe it sends an important signal when you opt for 100% renewable electricity,” Luc says. “Practice what you preach! The smaller our campus’s fossil footprint, the better. This also helps us contribute to achieving Chemelot’s goal of being completely climate-neutral by 2050, and this applies to both the site and the campus. We also want to be the most competitive and sustainable materials and chemistry site in Western Europe between now and 2025. Brightlands Chemelot Campus hopes to attain global notoriety as the leader in the development and application of innovative and sustainable materials.”
No emissions tax
Renewable electricity from this supplier is slightly more expensive at present. However, this minimal price increase pales in comparison to the benefits. Luc: “Aside from living up to what we stand for, we are also reducing our risk of CO2 taxes that the government is considering imposing within the scope of the climate objectives. Our companies don’t have to worry about a tax bill for the time being.”
Sustainability is more than renewable electricity
Brightlands Chemelot Campus is also trying to shape the application of the concept of sustainability to other areas. New buildings at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus are built to be sustainable and energy efficient. The recently opened Brighthouses and the Center Court, for example, have received the BREEAM certificate rating “very good”. Luc: “BREEAM is the global reference standard for the sustainability of buildings. The Brighthouses are better insulated and equipped with heat pumps. Center Court and other buildings are also heated with low-pressure steam from the adjacent Chemelot Industrial Site, solar panels are installed where possible and attention is being paid to the use of sustainable materials. The campus started the Maastricht Bereikbaar program a few years ago to make the campus more accessible in a more sustainable manner. There are also developments involving waste flows. In other words, the sustainability idea is not just reflected in the innovations occurring at the campus!”
