The Structure

Fig. 1 The links and main collaborators of the Centre for Sustainable Development

The Center for Sustainable Development, part of the Transilvania University of Brasov, is linked with the local and regional institutions in charge with the development and/or implementation of different concrete aspects of the Sustainable Energy and collaborates with similar European structures, Fig. 1.

When initially launched, the Centre for Sustainable Development in Brasov had already have contacts and joint projects with successful European institutions that acted not only as models but also as active supporters in defining its aims and the strategy. Five of them, presented below, are the one who contributed extensively:

The Julich Centre in the FH Aachen in Germany is involved worldwide in applied research projects and provides education at undergraduate and M. Sc. level about subjects focusing on solar energy conversion to heat and electricity, on the passive use of the solar energy and the use of biomass.

The Energy Centre of the Netherlands is an European leader in the research of the renewable energy systems, mainly in developing the state of art (silicon based) and the new, non-silicon based PV cells, in wind energy and in passive solar design.

The Delft Institute for Sustainable Energy is a major research institute in the Delft University of Technology and provides high level research and education programs in solar PVs, in wind energy turbines, hydrogen technology and photo-catalytic processes and in sustainable industrial processes.

The Technological Research Centre of Iraklion, Crete, Greece hosts an open air laboratory where practical solutions for implementing RES are initiated, tested and then delivered to the large scale producers.

The University of Zaragoza, hosts, in the Faculty of Mechanics a department activating in passive solar design applied to urbanism projects and in solar to thermal energy conversion.

Now, there are more international partners (high level education institutions, companies, training institutions, and agencies) with which the Centre collaborates in promoting and supporting activities orientated on products’ research, design and development.

At national and regional level the links are involving institutions that are able to identify, at community level, the real needs and to promote practical solutions.

The National Centre for Sustainable Development elaborated, with support from UNDP, the first National Strategy for Sustainable Development, involving more than 200 government officials, politicians, business and trade union leaders, academics and representatives of the civil society. The Romanian Government officially adopted the Strategy, with just a few amendments.

The Brasov County Council represents the regional authority and as collaborator of most of the project of the Centre has an active contribution at the decision and dissemination level about the energy efficiency components.

The Brasov Association for Energy Management, lately founded as result of a SAVE project, is so far active mainly in projects related to energy saving and energy efficiency and is a valuable partner in providing information and links with the regional companies and institutions.

The links with the economic, social, education and training bodies is continuous and expands according to the increasing offer of the Centre for Sustainable Development.

Faculty of Construction

The Brasov Centre for Sustainable Development

Faculty of Electrical Engineering

In order to be able to answer to the rather various needs and opportunities, the Centre is internally organized in laboratories, joining groups from five faculties; this gives the possibility of an interdisciplinary approach of the subjects and allows the product — orientated research and training, Fig. 2.

Fig. 2. The internal structure of the Centre for Sustainable Development