Encon Sustainability Award 2021 presented to a duo

A broader view of sustainability

“Particularly under the current circumstances, the energy transition naturally remains a very important part of making the business world more sustainable, so it makes sense that quite a few master’s theses are still being devoted to this,” explains Robin Bruninx.

The conscious decision to no longer focus solely on energy is in line with Encon’s own evolution – the firm started as an engineering consultancy specialising in energy efficiency, but has grown into a consultancy that approaches sustainability on a bespoke basis for each individual company. In this way, Encon also supports companies in improving their impact in relation to other environmental and social issues.

We were therefore delighted to read theses on waste management, circularity and sustainable packaging. We look forward to discovering more and more new perspectives every year that will help us support companies in meeting the needs of their stakeholders. The often fresh and creative perspective of students is indispensable in helping us avoid tunnel vision.

The winning thesis was, of course, not chosen solely because of its focus on energy. The jury assessed the master’s theses that made it through the shortlist very objectively, based on various criteria. In particular, the innovative nature and practical applicability of the research were key factors in the decision.

The thesis by student duo Robin Haesen and Louis Hermans stood out because it offers an interesting perspective on the challenges associated with renewable energy. “To meet the 2050 climate targets, we need to change how we heat and cool homes, by moving away from fossil fuels and switching to renewable sources such as wind and solar energy,” the students explain their motivation for the thesis. “There are already many solutions for this transition, but the supply and demand for renewable heating and cooling are not always optimally aligned.”

Haesen and Hermans therefore investigated the possibility of a system for centrally storing thermal energy, so that heat stored in a residential neighbourhood could be supplied on demand to each household. In this way, the energy supply is independent of the season: sufficient heat is stored in the summer to meet the higher demand in the winter.

The student duo first investigated various technologies suitable for such storage linked to the district heating network – from water tanks to boreholes – in order to identify the most viable concepts for collective cooling and heating.

They then assessed the various solutions in terms of their technical, financial and environmental impact, to better compare the systems with traditional gas-fired or heat pump heating installations.

“Our research shows, among other things, that certain concepts can be cost-competitive with current heating methods, whilst achieving significantly lower CO2 emissions,” say Haesen and Hermans. “We therefore hope that our thesis can lead to a better understanding and implementation of these sustainable heating and cooling solutions.”

The jury of the Encon Sustainability Award felt that the students had created a solid starting point for further research, the practical applicability of which is very clear. “The result is innovative because it can be applied in Flanders, but is not yet being implemented here. Similar projects are currently only in place in Denmark and Canada,” was the jury’s verdict.

The award was presented to the students by the Minister for Climate, Environment, Sustainable Development and the Green Deal, Zakia Khattabi, during a virtual ceremony on Wednesday 16 February. “A collective approach to heating and cooling our homes can play a key role in transforming the heating landscape in Belgium and achieving our climate targets,” said the minister. “I was also particularly impressed by the fact that a duo wrote this thesis. The whole is always greater than the sum of its parts, and that also applies to sustainability. After all, our transition to climate neutrality requires system innovation, and this winning master’s thesis is a fine example of that.”