Keywords

1 Introduction

Universities have a strategic role in promoting sustainability based on the teaching-researching-extension triad. This structure has allowed them to significantly contribute to the dynamics of technological innovation by means of the interaction between academy, industry and government. As technological innovation is stimulated by the demand for sustainable solutions, the interactions between those institutions constitute a triple helix concept (Etzkowitz and Zhou 2017). However, to consolidate the process of synergy between the parties involved, it is necessary to include the civil society, a fundamental part of the process, in order to build sustainable development, inside or outside the HEIs.

This interaction is evident in HEIs located in the Brazilian Amazon, where these organs have always played an important role in the socioeconomic development. For instance, the training mechanisms at the Federal Institute of Amazonas (IFAM) have enabled the local adoption of solar photovoltaic systems. In addition to such initiatives, there is an effort to construct an innovative policy proposal based on the integrated management of the energy resources of all of the campuses. Such proposal is expected to provide IFAM with a tool to take internal actions and to create a sustainable energy culture.

Another prominent institution is the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), which for more than twenty years, has been working on research and development (R&D) projects of renewable energy and energy efficiency, in partnership with power generation and distribution companies. UFAM relies on auxiliary organs to carry out such actions: The Center for Environmental Sciences (CCA), whose activities are related to the conservation of natural resources and socio-environmental dynamics, and the Amazon Energy Development Center (CDEAM), which operates in the energy area. An initiative to be highlighted was the establishment of the Permanent Energy Forum (FPE) in 2019, which brought together 22 institutions from different sectors. An outcome from FPE was the proposal of a state law to promote the implementation of renewable energy projects and energy efficiency technologies in the state of Amazonas. This emphasizes the social role of HEIs through actions that integrate government, companies and society. The analysis of the experiences carried out by these Amazonian HEIs is the objective of this article.

2 Sustainability Within Higher Education Institutions

The recognition of the importance of the HEIs in the formation of citizens has strengthened over time, at the beginning, the academy–industry relationship generally consisted of a purely technical training. However, in the current context, HEIs role go far beyond. The knowledge acquired by practicing education is usually focused on technical and economic aspects, but local and global socio-environmental concerns are becoming more relevant. The incorporation of these dimensions makes the academy a strategic agent in the training of people qualified to promote the necessary transformations for sustainable development. The role of HEIs in promoting sustainability has been outlined since the 1970s, mainly based on the emphasis placed on their duties. This took place at international conferences about the environment promoted between different countries (Sadalla 2019). Over time, the formalization of the attributions of the HEIs took place by means of the publication of several documents, known as Declarations. The Tailloires Declaration, drawn up in 1990 after the conference held in France, is one of the first documents that emphasize the commitment to environmental sustainability in higher education. In the years that followed, other international conferences resulted in important statements that increasingly reinforced the responsibility of HEIs in addressing socio-environmental problems (Rohrich and Takahashi 2019).

In order to assist in the implementation of actions aimed at sustainability, networks and partnerships between HEIs were also established. Since 1995, important HEIs have been sharing information about actions to integrate sustainability into teaching and researching. The sources of information are the International Association of Universities (IAU), created in 1950, the Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership, created in 2000, and the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN), created in 2007 (Sadalla 2019). In 2015, the creation of the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Program (IUSDRP) made it possible to foster academic and scientific cooperation in projects aimed to do research in sustainability (MMU 2021). Thus, HEIs must put their beliefs, regarding sustainability, into practice, serving as a basis and example for students and for society. Teaching students and doing research contribute to support sustainable development. Putting into practice these actions (both at campuses and externally) via partnerships with government, industry or other sectors, should be some of the actions for the HEIs to present themselves as a model for society. Within this context, Guimarães and Bonilla (2018) emphasize the concept of sustainable HEI, based on three axes: education, research and operational practice on campus. The education axis involves actions that aim to incorporate sustainability into the training of students, such as expanding the offer of courses on sustainability and encouraging the faculty to develop new curricula focused on sustainability. Regarding research, the strategy is based on conducting studies related to sustainability and making financial resources available for the development of research. Finally, the operational axis focuses on the implementation of environmental, energy and transportation management systems in the campuses.

As can be seen, the practice of sustainability involves socio-environmental commitment and the development and application of technological innovations which could strengthen the impact of HEIs in the university–industry–government relationship. This relationship is known as the Triple Helix Model, proposed by Etzkowitz and Zhou (2017), in order to explain the dynamics of technological innovation. Mineiro et al. (2018) pointed out that HEIs are responsible for generating new knowledge, identifying new research gaps and narrowing the relationship between government and companies. In practice, it is known that the three actors face many limitations to act. HEIs depend on funding agencies to conduct research and have weak links with society and companies; industries have little investment and development capacity for research projects; and government carries the burden of excessive bureaucratization and lack of flexibility for implementing partnership projects.

As an extension to the Triple Helix Model, the Quadruple Helix Model includes the perspectives of media, culture and civil society as the fourth component (Carayannis and Campbell 2010). In this model, civil society is recognized for its role, proposing new types of innovations and connecting with industry, academy and the government.

The growing environmental concern, whether on a global or local scale, also led to the incorporation of the dimension of the natural environment, constituting the Quintuple Helix Model. According to Carayannis et al. (2012), the Quadruple Helix introduces the concept of the society of knowledge (and the democracy of knowledge). In contrast, the Quintuple Helix finally emphasizes the socio-ecological perspective of society’s natural environment; this model is proposed as a framework for a transdisciplinary analysis of sustainable development and social ecology (Mineiro et al. 2018).

Thus, the importance of the HEIs in transdisciplinary analyses is evident, linking new knowledge, innovations and responses to environmental issues is a duty of HEIs. However, the challenge of the interactions with industry, government, civil society and the environment should be recognized.

In the Brazilian case, some HEIs are expanding their field of action and incorporating changes in the guidelines of teaching, researching and the internal operation of their campuses. Emphasis is given to strategies aimed at energy management, renewable energy sources and the reduction of environmental impacts. Federal HEIs in the Amazon region are particularly sensitive to these strategies. These institutions have been intensifying their interaction with industry, government and civil society, as depicted in the actions detailed in Sect. 4.

3 Research Methodology

The theoretical basis of this work was an exploratory literature review using the following keywords: sustainability, higher education institutions, triple helix model and quintuple helix model. For this search, we paid special attention to the importance of the university–industry–government relationship for the implementation of sustainability actions. In parallel, a descriptive search was carried out, in which the results of the experiences of sustainable development related to HEIs in the state of Amazonas were identified. The primary data presented is the result of the findings about research projects reports, institutional actions and administrative documents. These documents report the experiences and results achieved in actions to promote energy sustainability at IFAM and UFAM campuses.

The current status of two of the authors of this work, as faculty members within the aforementioned institutions, made the primary data more accessible. In fact, one of the authors was the mentor and direct responsible of UFAM’s initiatives, in his role as founder and director of the Amazon Energy Development Center (CDEAM), having managed this organ since its conception.

4 Sustainable Energy Experiences at the Federal Institute of Amazonas—IFAM

IFAM is a public HEI, created in 2008 by the Federal Law Nº. 11892 (BRAZIL 2008). Its main duty is “the promotion of education at basic, technical and higher level” (Mello 2009). IFAM is currently present in 14 municipalities in the Amazonas state.

IFAM’s institutional structure is distributed along 17 units, including 16 campuses located in strategic municipalities in the state of Amazonas as portrayed in Fig. 1. Overall, 3 campuses are located in Manaus city (CMC, CMDI and CMZL),Footnote 1 whereas 13 are placed in the following cities: Coari, Lábrea, Maués, Manacapuru, Parintins, Presidente Figueiredo, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Tabatinga, Humaitá, Eirunepé, Itacoatiara, Tefé and Iranduba. The institution counts with 18,649 enrolled students and 243 courses distributed at technical, undergraduate and graduate levels. Furthermore, IFAM employs 958 teachers, working in different areas of knowledge and supported by 916 administrative technicians in education (MEC 2020).

Fig. 1
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IFAM campuses in the state of Amazonas—Brazil (IFAM 2018)

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The Institutional Development Plan (PDI), a planning tool within IFAM, states the promotion of public policies for institutional sustainability as one of its objectives, while also encourages the efficient use of natural resources and the adoption of sustainable measures in institutional activities (IFAM 2019). In compliance with these internal guidelines and aiming at the implementation of sustainable institutional governance, the following energy sustainability actions were promoted at the institute (IFAM 2018).

4.1 Training of Staff in Energy Efficiency and Solar Photovoltaic Systems

The training of four IFAM members (teachers and technicians), in solar photovoltaic systems, took place within the framework of the Program for the Development of Renewable Energies (Energif), conducted by the Ministry of Education (MEC), in partnership with the German Cooperation for Sustainable Development (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit—GIZ) (IFAM 2018). This initiative aimed to train multiple professionals, intending to transform them into knowledge and expertise spreaders on solar photovoltaic technologies. On the long term the objective was to introduce solar photovoltaic courses at federal education institutes, considering that changes in the education sector are necessary to ensure the implementation of clean energy generation technologies.

4.2 Creation of a Technical Specialization Course in Solar Photovoltaic Energy

IFAM designed a specialization course in solar photovoltaic systems, aimed at technical level professionals. The objective was to provide the necessary training in design, installation and maintenance of photovoltaic systems to meet the regional demand, thus contributing to a sustainable power generation in isolated communities in the Brazilian Amazon.

The first class of the solar photovoltaic course initiates activities in 2021. Through this initiative, IFAM expands its academic horizons, contributing to the fulfillment of its social and institutional role in society (IFAM 2020). The course syllabus can be seen in Table 1.

Table 1 Curriculum of the course in photovoltaic solar energy (IFAM 2020)
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4.3 Self-funding of the First Photovoltaic Plant at IFAM/CMC

To promote energy sustainability the institute started its own solar photovoltaic pilot project which is connected to the electric grid. The availability of sunlight in the Amazonas state enables such initiatives. Another factor that facilitates the harnessing of solar energy is the usually large horizontal area of the rooftops. In fact, CMC site exhibits an available area of more than 5000 m2 without obstacles for the sunlight to reach the photovoltaic modules.

IFAM purchased and installed its first photovoltaic plant with an installed capacity of 44.88 kWp at CMC site as shown in Fig. 2. This solar photovoltaic system is composed of 132 photovoltaic modules of 340 Wp each one, connected directly to the electric grid of IFAM by means of two three-phase inverters of 24 kWp each.

Fig. 2
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Photovoltaic plant connected to the grid (44.88 kWp)—IFAM/CMC

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The system occupies an area of 264 m2 on top of one of the buildings (Block J), producing 4919.70 kWh per month, and expecting to generate 59,036.40 kWh per year, which equates to 3.46% of the electricity consumed at IFAM—CMC (1,705,920 kWh in 2019). At this moment, techno-economic studies are being prepared to evaluate the potential expansion of more solar photovoltaic generation systems at IFAM.

4.4 Creation of an Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Commission

In 2018 a committee was created to support teaching, researching, extension activities and institutional development in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energies. Among the main activities in progress are the energy diagnosis of all campuses and the creation of a specialization course in energy efficiency at the graduate level.

4.5 Methodological Proposal for an Integrated Management of Energy Resources

Despite of the actions to promote energy efficiency and renewable electricity generation, there is still a necessity to systematize the energy management process, in order to transform it into a strategic and institutional guideline reaching all of the campuses.

Intending to contribute to the internal energy management process, a methodology is under construction to address the stages of the implementation of the integrated management of energy resources. This is in observance of the requirements and guidelines of the ISO 50001 standards (ISO 2018). The simplified methodological approach divides the implementation of energy management into three stages which are part of a continuous process, they are:

  • The concept of energy management;

  • The operationalization of energy management;

  • Self-assessment of energy management.

Figure 3 exhibits the steps in the process of implementing a systematic energy management scheme at the organizational level with a classic approach based on the management skills within the organization, the expertise of its administrators and the guidelines of the international standard ISO 50001: 2018 (Finnerty et al. 2017). In the proposed approach, the energy management must be conducted by a work team (management group or energy commission), guided by a defined energy policy. The energy policy serves as the basis for the planning and execution of actions related to energy acquisition, use, generation and conservation within the organization.

Fig. 3
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Process for implementing organizational energy management

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The scheme describing the proposed methodology is depicted in Fig. 3. The process execution is required to happen in an integrated manner. Besides, it is necessary to bestow the institutional energy planning to the energy management team; afterwards, it would be to support the execution of the energy projects on the campuses. Nonetheless, the success of this process is conditioned to the participation of all stakeholders, in a joint effort to achieve institutional energy sustainability.

5 Sustainable Energy Experiences at the Federal University of Amazonas—UFAM

The Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM) could be considered as the legitimate successor to the first Brazilian HEI, established in 1909, the Manaus Free School (UFAM 2021). Its campus, occupies an area of 6.7 million m2, which makes it the third largest green zone within an urban area in the world and the first in the country. It enjoys a rich and varied fauna and flora. Figure 4 portrays the aerial view of the UFAM Manaus Campus.

Fig. 4
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Aerial view of UFAM’s Manaus Campus (UFAM 2021)

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UFAM has six campuses in the state, in addition to Manaus one. It is present in the municipalities of Benjamin Constant, Itacoatiara, Coari, Parintins and Humaitá. UFAM counts with two supplementary organs in charge of executing projects in the sustainability area, namely the Center for Environmental Sciences (CCA) and the Amazon Energy Development Center (CDEAM).

5.1 The Center for Environmental Sciences—CCA

The CCA was created in 1989 with the purpose of organizing and coordinating environmental preservation activities and programs at the UFAM by means of teaching, researching and performing extension activities. The CCA is particularly involved with the rational use of natural resources and the conservation and preservation of regional ecosystems. The CCA participates in the Postgraduate Program in Environmental Sciences and Sustainability in the Amazon region (PPG-CASA). According to CCA (2021), the PPG-CASA is focused in the Amazon region, more specifically, the necessities related to the conservation of natural resources and socio-environmental dynamics, considering the principles of sustainability.

The objective of the PPG-CASA is to train professionals at the graduate level, providing them with knowledge and interdisciplinary experience. Graduates are prepared to work in the planning, execution and management of activities related to the conservation of natural resources and socio-environmental dynamics; in the same way, graduates are prepared for teaching and researching in the environmental area. Energy related topics are addressed in the PPG-CASA by means of a subject about energy and environment, which focuses on the socio-environmental character of the issue.

5.2 The Amazon Energy Development Center—CDEAM

The CDEAM, a supplementary organ directly subordinated to the rectory of UFAM, is responsible for actions and programs in the energy area. It was created in 2004 to replace the Energy Efficiency Center (NEFEN). The CDEAM assets include the following laboratory facilities (CDEAM 2021):

  • Internal combustion engine laboratory;

  • Electric powertrains optimization laboratory;

  • Solar photovoltaic energy laboratory;

  • Laboratory for physical–chemical analysis of solid biomass;

  • Gasification laboratory;

  • Biodigestion laboratory;

  • Hydropower laboratory;

  • Laboratory of cassava ethanol production;

  • Fuel cell laboratory;

  • Thermo-accumulation laboratory.

Throughout its existence, the CDEAM has developed several actions with the following objectives:

  • Exploring energy crops: Characterization of local crops and biobased materials for energy use, such as cupuaçu bark (Theobroma grandiflorum), açaí seed (Euterpe oleracea), and other woody species and vegetable oils.

  • Exploring technological pathways for the utilization of local crops and biobased materials: Research on gasification, biodigestion, fuel cells and briquetting; cracking, always using local raw materials.

  • Promotion of the efficient use of electricity: Projects created to promote the adoption of efficient technologies in the residential and industrial sector. At the university campus, efforts were focused on lighting and air conditioning.

  • Promotion of renewable sources for isolated locations in the Amazon: Projects developed to demonstrate the technical, economic and legal feasibility of diverse energy business models in isolated communities in the state of Amazonas. For instance, projects to evaluate diverse business models for electricity supply in isolated communities in the Amazon region and projects for electricity generation from cassava ethanol (Manihot esculenta).

  • Encouragement of debates over the local and regional energy problem: Several events were held, often in partnership, to share information about the energy sector and to discuss solutions for the development of the local and regional energy sector. Among them, the biannual “Feira Internacional da Amazônia” stands out. This event was developed in partnership with the Manaus Free Trade Zone Superintendence, and consisted in a series of workshops, one of them in the energy area.

The publications referring to the activities developed by the CDEAM can be freely accessed on its website www.cdeam.ufam.edu.br (CDEAM 2021). Recently, the CDEAM constituted the Permanent Energy Forum (FPE), which is discussed in the next section.

5.3 Permanent Energy Forum

The FPE was created in March 2019 under direction of the CDEAM. The FPE aims to establish partnerships and propose public policies for the development of the energy sector in the state of Amazonas. Its composition, as can be seen in Table 2, which currently comprises of 22 members, is in consonance with the concept of a quadruple helix, in which HEIs, government, companies and sustainability stakeholders participate.

Table 2 Members of the UFAM Permanent Energy Forum (FPE)
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It should be noticed that the objective of the FPE is to transcend the traditional role of higher education and research institutions and to aim at the construction of public policies that support sustainable social transformations in the local energy sector based on knowledge and expertise. It means that FPE is intended to create progress beyond the creation of industries.

A substantial consequence from FPE efforts is the state law Nº 5,350; issued on December 22th, 2020. This law formulates the incentives policy for renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives in Amazonas state (AMAZONAS 2020). The policy objectives are as follows:

  • Stimulate the rational use of electricity via adoption of renewable energy systems through private and public investments;

  • Prevent or mitigate negative impacts on the environment;

  • Support the universal coverage of the public electricity service, in all sectors of the economy, especially the low-income population;

  • Encourage the use of cleaner and less polluting technologies;

  • Encourage the establishment of industries that manufacture energy efficient equipment and components for the generation of energy from renewable sources in the Amazonas state;

  • Promote training programs for professionals to act in all stages of the energy efficiency chain and renewable energy sources;

  • Foster partnerships to encourage R&D programs, in state institutions, aiming to acquire expertise in renewable energy technologies and energy efficient technologies;

  • Diversify the Amazonian energy matrix;

  • Ensure greater reliability and security of the energy supply;

  • Encourage the construction of renewable energy plants through Public–Private Partnerships (PPP);

  • Stimulate the production of biofuels.

The instruments available for the promotion of this policy are the following:

  • Tax incentives;

  • Technological research;

  • Promotion and education campaigns;

  • The training of human capital;

  • The creation of an Energy Development Fund (FDE);

  • The formation of PPPs, consortia and cooperatives;

  • The energy efficiency management plan at the administration entities and public companies.

In 2021 the purpose of the actions to be implemented is to consolidate what has been achieved and to overcome the incoming challenges. A priority action is the support for the implementation of Law Nº 5,350 through the proposal of projects. These projects are required to be able to create opportunities for energy as a vector for sustainable development, emphasizing the development of communities in rural areas. In addition, the creation of an Energy Development Fund to promote the diffusion of renewable energies and energy efficiency technologies in production chains will be proposed as a priority action.

Regarding past actions, special attention should be paid to the elaboration of instruments to establish the legal framework that will institutionalize the municipal energy policy. This framework will endow the municipalities with legal mechanisms to deploy solar photovoltaic systems for electricity supply of public buildings and public lighting systems, considering that electricity costs represent a large part of municipal public expenses. Such instruments are being developed by the Energy and Sustainable Development Institute (INEDES) supported by WWF-Brazil, both members of the FPE. In relation to overcoming new challenges, the FPE will concentrate its efforts on jobs and income generation, promoting governmental actions to universalize the access to electricity, aiming for the social and economic development of communities located in remote areas of the Brazilian Amazon.

6 Conclusions

The experiences presented in this work consisted of actions that demonstrate the commitment with socio-environmental sustainability through different strategies. IFAM has focused its efforts on internal transformations, introducing appropriate technological solutions into the academic environment, while seeking to introduce competent management practices intending to better explore opportunities for improvement. In contrast, UFAM has attempted to create an impact “beyond its own walls” but without neglecting its training vocation. UFAM seeks sustainable solutions in technology able to supply the local energy needs, through R&D actions. In addition, UFAM strives to articulate multiple stakeholders, in a forum created to build public policies capable of directing the local energy sector toward a scenario of socio-environmental sustainability. Both experiences have been followed by the civil society in general, but also, by future professionals who act as message spreaders for the mentioned practices and the philosophy guiding them.

In a vision of the future, three recommended steps for IFAM for UFAM are perceived. The first step is to consolidate the current practices and expand their areas of action. IFAM will improve its sustainable energy management practices with solutions implemented in its campuses and, at the same time, it should act in a more incisive way in the construction of solutions for society. In its turn, UFAM is steadily advancing in establishing partnerships to build sustainable public policies for the local energy sector by means of the FPE. UFAM is focused on taking more effective steps to introduce technological energy solutions, with lower environmental impacts, into its areas of action.

The second step, which can be taken simultaneously with the previous one, refers to articulate efforts in order to constitute energy networks. Due to the relevance of the aforementioned experiences, it is clear that more consistent and swifter advances can be obtained when actors are articulated, despite of potential conflicts of interests that may arise from this interaction. It is important to remember that the concept of the triple helix comes from the articulation and the iterative work of the different actors while constructing any policy. The construction of networks may add expertise from other institutions outside the region and the country, allowing the exchange of experiences, as well as new perspectives on the local problem. The skills, competences and interests of external actors can promote the continuity, pace and effectiveness of the actions in progress. Integrating the concept of the triple helix to the network construction is recommended to expand the perspectives of sustainability of the reported processes. The integration of different actors in a network structure, each one playing its role, supporting and being supported, will certainly have a major impact on the intended results.

Given the multidisciplinary nature of the energy and socio-environmental landscape, as well as the great scale of the challenges associated to it, the discussion of sustainable campuses needs to transcend the energy area, which is listed as the third recommended step for the HEIs presented in this work. It is deemed that the described steps will enable the exchange of experiences and the deepening of sustainable practices in the HEIs, both internally and externally. The success of these experiments will constitute dynamic and diverse laboratories which will contribute to the practice of education for sustainability, also understanding that challenges beyond the energy sphere will emerge and will need to be addressed. Thus, new teaching practices and innovative solutions for society will emerge from these environments.

Regardless of the outcomes of those experiences, understanding that specific results will depend on the current management of the HEIs, it is evident that Amazonian universities recognize the importance of education for sustainability, despite of the different paces at which it could happen.