UBC and Cisco to Collaborate on Smart Campus Initiatives

GLOBE-Net, May 27, 2013 – The University of British Columbia (UBC) has announced that Cisco will be joining other Partners in UBC’s living Lab Project addressing the Campus’s Smart Energy System. 

The arrangement will see collaboration on a number of initiatives focused on smart energy technologies and converged network solutions.   

A key component of the collaboration will be Cisco’s direct involvement in the university’s Campus as a Living Lab Initiative to accelerate the development, demonstration and commercialization of new technologies and solutions. 

[stextbox id=”custom” float=”true” width=”200″ bcolor=”add3d5″ bgcolor=”add3d5″ image=”null”]Studies show, 70% of electricity consumed is by buildings and of that, nearly 50% is wasted.  [/stextbox]

Studies show, 70% of electricity consumed is by buildings and of that, nearly 50% is wasted.  It is possible to reduce this energy consumption by designing and building Smart Buildings where steps are taken to control, monitor and report on all the building systems and the energy they require. 

Together UBC and Cisco aim to help create smarter, more energy-efficient buildings while identifying best practices and innovative solutions to reduce UBC’s net greenhouse gas emissions and associated carbon costs. 

UBC and Cisco intend to pursue activities that will enhance, augment and sustain strategies and opportunities that use the capabilities and expertise of UBC, as well as drive Cisco’s solution development, testing and commercialization in Cisco Smart+Connected Communities™, Smart+Connected Real Estate™ and energy management. 

“UBC’s Campus as a Living Lab initiative brings together the academic mission of the university, our operational needs, and the desire of companies to demonstrate and evaluate  new products and processes,” said Brent Sauder, UBC’s Director of Strategic Initiatives.

“Today I am happy to welcome Cisco to the growing number of companies partnering with UBC to demonstrate and develop the solutions of the future.  Solutions with local, national and global impact,” he added.

Facts and Highlights:

• Cisco envisions investing up to $1 million over five years in collaborative projects.
• Cisco and UBC will explore solution approaches for a campus-wide Smart Energy System that can integrate energy generation, demand and supply to buildings at UBC’s Vancouver campus.
• Cisco and UBC will collaborate with multiple building solution manufacturers on the development of new building automation devices using Cisco® Universal Power Over Ethernet (Cisco UPOE™) and Cisco EnergyWise™ software development kits.
• Cisco and UBC will explore the building-scale demonstration and evaluation of converged network solutions.

In traditional construction, buildings have a combination of disparate networks required for maintaining the Building Automation Systems (BAS), Lighting, Access and Security systems.  

In a Smart Building design the Building Systems utilize a single IP Converged Base Building Network.  These systems need to work in unison and breaking down the proprietary barriers is required. 

Economies can be driven by combining all these applications on to one common network so the Capex costs can in fact be cost neutral to traditional methods.  Long term Opex / Life Cycle Costing savings can also be realized by providing tools, functionality and integration capabilities not available via traditional architectures. Overall, it presents a win win scenario. 

Pascal Spothelfer, vice president, Communications and Community Partnership, The University of British Columbia noted that “Cisco and UBC share a vision of achieving environmental sustainability through the transformational use of smart energy systems such as smarter buildings and communities.”  

[stextbox id=”custom” float=”true” width=”200″ bcolor=”add3d5″ bgcolor=”add3d5″ image=”null”]”The work done by Cisco and UBC on campus will enable vital energy-saving solutions for the university, and also serve as a roadmap for future smart energy and smart community initiatives not only in Canada, but around the world.” Nitin Kawale, president, Cisco Canada[/stextbox]

Nitin Kawale, president, Cisco Canada said “Cisco is committed to exploring opportunities presented by our increasingly connected world in order to enrich lives through the use of innovative technology.”

The University of British Columbia is one of Canada’s leading research universities and is consistently ranked among the top 40 in the world. For more information go to www.ubc.ca 

Cisco is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. Cisco Systems Canada Co., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco.
Please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com/canada/.

‘Smart City Design and Energy Efficiency’ will be a major topic at GLOBE 2014, the next in the celebrated GLOBE Series Conferences on the business of the environment taking place inVancouver Canada, March 26-28, 2014. Reserve your place now. Check here for more details.