Bentley U to Purchase 100% Wind Power
The university recently signed a four-year agreement to purchase electricity from a wind farm in Maine. The purchase is anticipated to supply 100 percent of the electricity needs of the university through 2027. The wind site will be incorporated into an intensive field course on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Sonoma State U to Complete Solar Array & Battery Bank
Projected to help the university save $6 million over 30 years, the 4.5-megawatt solar array and 1.5-megawatt battery bank installation is expected to meet one-third of the university’s annual electricity consumption when it becomes active in spring 2025.
U Virginia Begins Decarbonization Academy
Over the course of the eight-week, immersive learning experience program, students from various disciplines work with faculty and staff to advance the university's 2030 carbon-neutral and 2050 fossil-free goals. Students spend 40 hours per week on projects and receive a $5,000 stipend.
U Manchester Enters Solar Electricity Purchase Agreement
(U.K.) The university recently signed a corporate power purchase agreement for up to 65 percent of its electricity demand to be supplied from a large-scale solar farm comprising 175 acres. The university will purchase approximately 80 percent of the electricity for a decade from the project.
Dartmouth College Announces Climate Collaborative
The Dartmouth Climate Collaborative is comprehensive program to address climate change through academic enterprises, campus operations and community engagement. As part of the initiative, the university will invest over $500 million over five years in improvements to campus infrastructure. It also launched the Climate Futures Initiative, a year-long effort to identify opportunities to drive climate scholarship and solutions.
Nine HEIs Sign Solar PPA
Davidson College, Dickinson College, Elon University, Haverford College, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Muhlenberg College, Swarthmore College and Wake Forest University have co-signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for power produced by a new 150-megawatt solar facility to be located in Kentucky.
U Pennsylvania Purchases Solar Electricity From 220MW Farm
The university will now be receiving all of the solar electricity from a recently connected 220-megawatt photovoltaic farm, which will meet the equivalent of 70 percent of the electricity demand of its campus and health system facilities in the Philadelphia area.
Northern Michigan U Finalizes Carbon Neutrality Plan
The plan calls for reducing emissions by 25 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040, then eliminating remaining emissions by 2050. It includes five key strategies for achieving its goal: reduced energy use; optimized infrastructure to minimize operational costs and emissions; a “right size” campus physical footprint to maximize use and efficiency of new and existing spaces; renewable energy investments; and increased carbon sequestration on university land.
Energy Dept Funds Research on Clean Energy & Decarbonization
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $17.4 million to 17 institutions of higher education primarily serving traditionally underrepresented communities to support novel, early-stage research on topics such as carbon capture, carbon dioxide removal, carbon conversion, and hydrogen with carbon management.
Middlebury College Adds Solar Electricity
New photovoltaic panels are being installed on the Middlebury Institute of International Studies campus in Monterey, California, and are expected to generate over 60 percent of the total campus electricity use. The project was made possible through a 20-year power purchase agreement with a third party, which financed the project and will own and operate the solar arrays.
Columbia U Commits to Reduce Food-Based Carbon Emissions
The university recently signed onto the Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge, a New York City-wide initiative to reduce carbon emissions through plant-forward food. Columbia Dining has committed to reducing its food-based carbon emissions 25% by 2030 through a plant-powered procurement strategy for its dining operations.
