Evidences
13.2 Low-carbon energy use
The AIT is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by reducing its energy use and switching to clean and renewable energy supplies.
Energy Goals:
Goal 1: To reduce the (non-residential) AIT’s electricity use by 15% in 2026 compared to 2022
- Through electricity consumption (reduction) in air conditioning.
- Through electricity consumption (reduction) in lighting.
- Through electricity consumption (reduction) in plug loads.
- Through electricity consumption (reduction) in others.
- Through identifying the monthly energy consumption for each building or part building by the installation of appropriate metering and developing the existing energy monitoring and by publishing clear targets for energy consumption and to report progress on the previous year.
Goal 2: To increase local renewable electricity generation (and possible storage) to 15% by 2026 from 2022
- Through electricity generation by solar.
- Through electricity/heat generation by bio resources.
- Through electricity generation by others.
- Through carbon offset.
Goal 3: To reduce fossil-fuel consumption by 15% by 2026 compared to 2022
- Through the use of blended and biofuels and alternate resources to replace fossil fuels on campus.
- Through improved efficiency in vehicles and stoves.
Goal 4: To reduce the overall energy expenses by 12% by 2026 compared to 2021
- Through technical measures:
- 1.1. Renewable power generation.
- 1.2. Efficient chiller plant upgradation and operation.
- 1.3. Upgrading to energy efficient lighting.
- Through incorporating energy efficient design to all new buildings, refurbishments and equipment utilising sustainable products.
- Through keeping the heat out of buildings by incorporating high performance facades, windows, and insulation.
- Through reduction in fossil-fuel consumption on the campus.
- Through behavioral changes (with incentives).
Goal 5: To be carbon neutral by 2030
- Through the measures undertaken in the Goals 1, 2 and 3.
- Revising Goals 1, 2, and 3 in 2026 for another 5 year period, and so on.
Source:AIT Electricity usage – Office of Facilities and Assets Management
Total energy used | 36874.2276 GJ | |||||
Total energy used from low-carbon sources | 277.15 GJ | |||||
13.3 Environmental education measures
AIT have Local education programmes on climate Provide local education programmes or campaigns on climate change risks, impacts, mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
Source 1; Climate Change and Sustainable Development (CCSD) – Asian Institute of Technology (ait.ac.th)
The Asian Institute of Technology is resolutely committed to the transformation of its campus into a “Botanical Garden Net Zero Campus” by the year 2030. To realize this ambitious objective, AIT has meticulously devised a climate action plan in 2022, outlining specific strategies geared towards achieving the net-zero status. The immediate plan encompasses several key projects, including the 1.5 MW Solar rooftop Project, which has already secured a contract and is projected to become fully operational by April 2024. Additionally, discussions are underway for the implementation of a 4MW solar floating project covering a 20-acre area on the AIT reservoir, with the possibility of finalizing the agreement by the end of 2023 which will enable AIT to be 100% Renewable Energy-sourced campus.
Source:AIT Net Zero plans – Office of Facilities and Assets Management
AIT have Co-operative planning for climate change disasters Participate in co-operative planning for climate change disasters, that may include the displacement of people both within a country and across borders, working with government at both local and regional levels.
AIT supports local and regional government efforts in local climate change disaster and risk early warning and monitoring. AIT’s InterLab has been engaged in developing a robust air pollution monitoring system using low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as Canarin, to collect real-time environmental data in remote areas, including forest and agricultural regions. This system focuses on monitoring air quality parameters like PM2.5, CO, CO2, and relative humidity, which are essential for early forest fire detection. The collected data is then sent to a cloud platform called SEA-HAZEMON, which supports large-scale data collection, real-time monitoring, and big data analytics.
This initiative not only provides valuable data but also integrates with short messaging services to send timely forest fire warnings to local authorities. AIT’s research and field deployment of IoT devices in challenging environments like forest areas demonstrate their commitment to enhancing early warning systems for climate change-related disasters and risks, actively engaging with local and regional governments to address these critical issues.
Source :SEA-HAZEMON: Active Haze Monitoring and Forest Fire Detection Platform (ait.ac.th)
AIT actively collaborates with the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) to inform and support local and regional governments in disaster risk early warning and monitoring. This partnership is governed by a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and aims to enhance multi-hazard early warning research and development. AIT’s responsibilities under this agreement include providing support for conducting training needs assessment in RIMES member states, developing and designing short-term training programs and curriculum on disaster management, and offering faculty support to AIT’s academic programs in Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation, and Management (DPMM). Moreover, AIT and RIMES jointly announce and implement Disaster Risk Management (ORM) training and capacity development programs. These collaborative efforts underline AIT’s commitment to informing and supporting local and regional governments in addressing climate change disasters and risks through early warning and monitoring systems.
Source 2:13.3.4 Amendment No. 2_MOA between RIMES and AIT-Operation of RIMES-signed (2).PDF – Google Drive
AIT collaborates with NGOs on climate adaptation.
A scientific workshop and policy roundtable within the project “Assessment of Environmental Inequalities of Air Pollution of Vulnerable Socioeconomic Groups in the World of Work in Bangkok City, Thailand,” was organized successfully in Bangkok on 7 September 2022. The workshop was led by Dr. Thi Phuoc Lai Nguyen, Assistant Professor, Development Planning Management and Innovation, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).
13.4 Commitment to carbon neutral university
AIT has a Commitment to carbon neutral with a target date by which it will become carbon neutral according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocols.
Source 1:Botanical Garden Campus Towards Net Zero – Asian Institute of Technology (ait.ac.th)
Source 2:AIT Net Zero plans – Office of Facilities and Assets Management
| Commitment to carbon neutral university Have a target date by which it will become carbon neutral according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocols? | yes by 2029 | |
| scope 1 | ||
| scope 1 and 2 | ||
| Scope 1, 2 and 3 (partial) | ||
| Scope 1, 2 and 3 (full) | Full |
Botanical Garden Campus Towards Net Zero will organize these numerous natural assets into an integrated and harmonized campus plan to achieve Net Zero Emissions and the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy. Put simply; Net Zero refers to reducing GHGs as much as possible, with any remaining emissions sequestered by oceans and forest ecosystems. According to the United Nations, more than 3,000 businesses – including some industry partners of AIT such as Thailand’s Bangchak Corporation – are working to reduce their emissions in line with Net Zero, and 1000 educational institutions have joined the Race to Zero, pledging to take rigorous, immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030.
Source 1:AIT Net Zero plans – Office of Facilities and Assets Management
Source 2:Botanical Garden Campus Towards Net Zero – Asian Institute of Technology (ait.ac.th)
