THE USE OF PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR ENERGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN THE METROPOLITAN REGION OF CARIRI
Sustainable development. Metropolitan Region of Cariri. Universities. Renewable energy. Sustainable Development Goals.
From the definition given to Sustainable Development by the Brundtland Report to date, more than three decades have passed. Part of the future generations mentioned in that document, already contemplates the changes in the environment caused by human interaction. In order to shape these relationships for a prosperous future, common to all species, efforts have been made to promote the practice of sustainable actions, which included the definition of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) ). In this sense, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have an enormous capacity to exercise positive influence in society, being a link between research, practice and the dissemination of knowledge. The Metropolitan Region of Cariri (RMC) has a relevant educational structure, with 18 HEIs and offering more than 70 different undergraduate courses. When it comes to sustainability, it is a geographically privileged region, as it has a high potential for the use of renewable energy. In this context, this research presents which HEIs from RMC use solar energy, which are the sustainability actions adopted by each one of them and which SDGs are served by each HEI. The results revealed that the biggest motivation for deploying photovoltaic solar energy in these HEIs is ecological, the environmental and social issue, and not the economic one, also revealing the predominance of public HEIs over private HEIs.