A Truly Sustainable Partnership
Humber College in Toronto and Siemens have forged a long-term strategic alliance to support an ambitious campus decarbonization plan. Humber College recognized early on that building a long-term partnership with a leading technology company like Siemens could unlock new opportunities to tackle challenges too complex to address in isolation.
Having been partners for decades, Humber College in Toronto and Siemens have forged a long-term strategic alliance to advance higher education and support an ambitious campus decarbonization plan.
Creating Academic Opportunities, Advancing Sustainability
Today’s global challenges call for immediate action, including experiential education for tomorrow’s sustainability leaders. Strategic partnerships between higher education and technology companies help achieve these objectives.
Global megatrends, such as demographic change, urbanization, climate change, and digitalization, are ushering in an array of new global challenges. Addressing these challenges will demand a significant pool of well-trained specialists capable of developing technical solutions and implementing them comprehensively.
Higher education institutions bear the responsibility of fulfilling this educational mandate while simultaneously spearheading the development of appropriate technologies and taking a practical leadership role in the journey toward decarbonization and sustainable operations.
Humber College recognized early on that building a long-term partnership with a leading technology company like Siemens could unlock new opportunities to tackle challenges too complex to address in isolation.
Driving Energy Transition in Daily Practice
As early as 2019, Humber held a customer value co-creation workshop in collaboration with Siemens to generate ideas and outline their practical joint implementation.
In 2021, these activities culminated in the signing of a memorandum of understanding, outlining the collaborative efforts between Humber and Siemens to enrich the academic curriculum and expand applied research and learning opportunities while enabling the college reach net-zero carbon for scope 1 and 2 emissions with limited use of offsets by 2050. Humber leverages Siemens’ domain expertise, cutting-edge technology, and extensive product portfolio to enhance student engagement while fostering knowledge sharing in specific areas of mutual interest.
Notable outcomes so far include the implementation of building automation across both campuses, HVAC equipment optimization and controls upgrades, and the creation of a sustainable microgrid on campus powered by distributed energy resources and including battery energy storage, EV charging stations, and a load simulator.
A special highlight was the opening of the Sustainable Microgrid and Renewable Technology Lab (SMART Lab) in 2023. It provides students and external partners with hands-on experience in operating microgrids technology that grants greater control over power distribution and helps optimize consumption to minimize energy waste.
A Smart Sustainability Journey With Multiple Facets
Humber College is aiming to reach net-zero carbon for scope 1 and 2 emissions with limited use of offsets by 2050, and reduce energy and water usage, as well as GHG emissions, by 2034.
Partnering with Siemens, the college has achieved significant sustainability goals, bringing campus infrastructure up-to-date, and implementing renewable power generation and a dedicated microgrid. These measures help make Humber a national leader in sustainability. The college was the first in Canada to achieve Zero Carbon Design Certification and Passive House designation for its NX Building located at Humber’s North campus. These projects provide the college with OPEX savings and are transforming its two campuses into living labs for learning and research opportunities.
