Politehnica University Timisoara, an energy service provider for cities, presented its offer
Politehnica University Timisoara, an energy service provider for cities, presented its offer
Starting from the premise that a university is a part of its city/region, and that universities and cities can work together to build a better urban future, Politehnica University Timisoara got certified as an “Energy service provider for cities”. On that note, on Wednesday, March 22, UPT debuted their service offer to potential beneficiaries (stakeholders from County Councils, City Halls, Administration companies) at the UPT Conference Center. The event was attended by Mr. Cristian Ilie, director of the Energetic Efficiency Department of the Ministry of Energy and representatives of local and country administration from the western region of the country.
In the event opening, the rector of Politehnica University Timișoara, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eng. Florin Drăgan, Ph.D., thanked the participants who responded to UPT’s invitation, emphasizing that the institution he leads is a reliable partner not only for the economic sector, but also for the administration, offering, through the expertise it has, consulting services, both on the scientific side, and for attracting resources and project management, this being part of the university’s stronger openness towards society and the good of the community.
During the meeting moderated by Prof. Dr. Eng. Viorel Ungureanu, Ph.D, director of the Research Institute for Renewable Energies - ICER, Mr. Cristian Ilie, director of the Energy Efficiency Department of the Ministry of Energy, congratulated Politehnica University Timișoara, the first higher education institution in Romania to be accredited as a service provider in the field of energy management of localities and presented the various funding opportunities that city halls can benefit from for projects related to energy efficiency.
Next, Mr. Andrei Ceclan, from the Romanian Society of Energy Auditors and Managers - SAMER, spoke about the increasing value of the new profession of "energy manager", about the challenges generated by the energy transition, but also about the importance of innovative solutions that must come from the universities.
On behalf of Timiș County Council, Mr. Bogdan Ghelbere, a graduate of Politehnica University Timișoara, highlighted the importance of the know-how and scientific support from UPT, which has both specialists and expertise for implementing projects, thus increasing the absorption rate of the funds available for city halls. On behalf of Timișoara Town Hall, Deputy Mayor Ruben Laţcau mentioned the lack of expertise, not only in the field of energy management, but also in other fields, mentioning the role of Politehnica University Timișoara, which also has experts and expertise in filling all these gaps.
Politehnica University Timișoara’s energy management service offer for localities was presented by Prof. Dr. Eng. Nicolae Muntean, Ph.D., director of the Energy Storage and Conversion Control Research Center, who went over the relevant legislation, presented case studies, spoke about the expertise, specialists and infrastructure UPT has, but also about the expertise in writing project proposals, attracting national and European funds and project management.
During the opening, academic Ion Boldea, professor at Politehnica University Timișoara, spoke about "Ethics in the profession", after which there was a round table where Mr. Cristian Ilie, director of the Energy Efficiency Department of the Ministry of Energy, answered the questions representatives of local authorities had about funding opportunities for energy-related programs.
