Dept of Energy Announces $70 Mil Toward Geothermal Advancements
In support of partnerships with academia, national laboratories and industry, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced the availability of up to $70 million in new funding over three years for technology advancements in geothermal energy. The funding will be used to research and develop innovations in exploration technologies to locate geothermal energy resources and improvements in resource characterization, drilling and reservoir engineering techniques.
Harvard U Students Study Geothermal Feasibility
As part an “Engineering Design Seminar” course, 16 undergraduate engineering students at Harvard University (MA) have discovered that existing geothermal wells on campus can supply more energy without overwhelming the system. The students’ research, calculations, experimentation and sophisticated computer modeling concluded that the geothermal heating and cooling system that serves the university’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study will also be able to supply energy to the nearby Fay House, currently undergoing a $13 million renovation of its mechanical, electrical, plumbing and life safety systems. The students also took the investigation several steps further, recommending that the wells should all run simultaneously for the 15-hour day (rather than in shifts) and the building's thermostats should be raised gradually over the course of each morning for optimal efficiency.
Michigan State U Dim Down Program Reduces Campus Energy Use
Michigan State University’s Office of Campus Sustainability recently hosted the annual Dim Down program, designed to bring awareness to the amount of electronics people have on during the day, especially electronics not in use. From noon to 1 p.m. every Friday during the month of April, students and faculty were expected to unplug any unused electronics. By the end of the program, 4.2 percent was the highest energy reduction in a day and some departments on campus created their own monthly Dim Down event.
National Outdoor Leadership School Unveils 24.8 kW Solar Array
The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), which partners with colleges and universities for college credit, recently unveiled a 24.8-kilowatt solar array atop the NOLS Rocky Mountain's Noble Hotel. The hotel, located in Lander, Wyo., primarily provides housing to NOLS Rocky Mountain students and instructors, as well as a place to hold community events. This solar array is projected to provide 10 percent of the hotel's energy needs, making it an important step towards NOLS' 2020 carbon reduction goal of 30 percent below 2006 levels.
U Chicago Installs First Energy Dashboard
The University of Chicago's (IL) Searle Laboratory recently became the first building on campus to feature an energy monitoring building dashboard system. The Lucid Design Group interactive display of real-time energy consumption reveals energy data across multiple time scales and according to different unit equivalents including gallons of gasoline, tons of carbon or dollars. The dashboard is the first step in an eventual campus-wide installation of energy monitoring systems.
U Colorado at Boulder Installing Carport Solar Array
The University of Colorado at Boulder is installing 100 kilowatts of solar photovoltaic panels atop a new carport on campus. The university has partnered with design and construction company EcoDepot for project financing and has the opportunity to buy the solar installations after seven years at a fraction of the original cost.
U Minnesota Morris Educates with Fitness Center Solar Panels
The University of Minnesota, Morris recently celebrated the successful installation of a 32-panel solar thermal array at its Regional Fitness Center with two solar swims for the community and students. Organized by the Students Using Natural Energy (SUN-E) team, the swim gatherings are drawing crowds of about 100 people who swim in water heated by the sun and enjoy free pizza and a poolside DJ. This summer, the center will feature kiosks that show live temperature data at each juncture of the system, carbon dioxide output and the amount of energy produced by the solar panels over time. A diagram of the pool and the panels detailing the heating system as well as information on other green energy platforms on campus will complement the live data.
U Minnesota to Reduce Coal Use in Power Plant
The University of Minnesota has created a new plan to use natural gas and biomass to produce steam to reduce the amount of coal burned in the campus power plant. Oat hulls, a waste product from the General Mills cereal plant, will be used for the biomass. Coal will be reserved for the coldest days of winter, reducing its use by 85 percent.
U Washington Develops Software to Reduce Computer Energy Use
Researchers at the University of Washington have created an energy-efficient program that reduces the energy consumption of powerful computers, data centers and mobile devices. The program has cut energy use in simulations by up to 50 percent and has the potential to reduce energy use by as much as 90 percent. The software works like a dimmer switch, letting some transistors run at a lower voltage. Researchers are now designing hardware to test their results in the lab. The long-term goal is to improve the battery life of a computer.
Case Western Reserve U to Create Solar Energy Center
Case Western Reserve University (OH) has been recommended for a $2.88 million grant to work with industry to improve the productive lifetime of solar energy technologies, energy-efficient lighting, roofing and building exteriors. The grant will help fund the Solar Durability and Lifetime Extension Center. The center will include a sun farm on campus and provide companies with facilities to expose and evaluate materials, components and products under solar radiation and under extremes in temperature, humidity, freezing and thawing cycles. The grant is funded by Ohio Third Frontier.
Marshall U Evaluates Wind Energy Potential on Former Mining Sites
Marshall University’s (WV) Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences has installed a wind turbine on three former mountain top removal sites (MTR). The university is using Second Wind’s satellite wind data service to evaluate the wind energy potential on former mining sites. The university’s goal is to help surface mine property owners determine whether they can make MTR sites productive again through conversion to renewable energy uses.
Penn State U Invests in PC Power Management Software
Pennsylvania State University has invested in PC power management software called BigFix. The software enables IT staff to ensure computers are in sleep mode when they are not being used and remotely wakes up the machines when they are needed. The software has been installed on 20,000 computers. The university expects to reduce its utilities bill by $800,000 a year.
St. Lawrence College to Install 1,200 Solar Panels
St. Lawrence College (ON) has announced a planned installation of more than 1,200 solar panels atop a variety of buildings on its campus. The 250-kilowatt project is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The college expects the $3 million investment to pay for itself within the next 10 years. The rooftop solar project is part of an initiative created by the Ontario government to install 10 new solar panel projects at various locations throughout the city. The government will pay 71.3 cents for every kilowatt-hour generated.
U California San Diego Boosts Solar Energy Portfolio
The University of California, San Diego has partnered with Sullivan Solar Power for the installation of an 830-kilowatt solar project. Part of a $3.53 million project made possible with a $1.2 million rebate from the California Initiative and low-interest federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds financing, the panels will boost the university’s solar energy capacity to two megawatts and increase the total campus renewable energy portfolio to nearly five megawatts.
U Texas Austin Celebrates Solar Power System Completion
The University of Texas at Austin has completed the installation of a solar power system. The project consists of two grid-tied solar arrays. One system is a ground-mounted array of solar panels in a field and the other system is an array of panels over a newly constructed carport. A monitoring system has been installed to track the energy generated by each installation. The university hopes the project will offer instructional opportunities for academic engineering programs.
Arizona State U Tempe Campus Installs Solar Energy System
Arizona State University’s Tempe Campus has installed four new solar energy systems. The systems have a combined capacity of 750-kilowatts and utilize 3,572 solar modules. The rooftop installations were placed in strategic locations around campus for optimum solar energy usage. The new solar energy systems are part of the university’s goal to achieve 20-megawatts of solar generating capacity by 2020.
Arizona Western College Breaks Ground on Solar Project
Arizona Western College has partnered with Main Street Power and Arizona Public Service for a five-megawatt solar project. The solar system will feature both single-axis trackers and dual-axis trackers. The installation will have private demonstration systems featuring photovoltaic technology for corporate and government comparisons and will be made accessible to students and researchers. The university expects the installation to produce almost 100 percent of the campus’ daytime electric needs. The project was funded by the APS Renewable Energy Incentive Project.
Atlantic Cape CC Announces Solar Energy Project
Atlantic Cape Community College (NJ) has partnered with Pepco Energy Services, Inc. to install a solar photovoltaic system. The project will be designed, owned and operated by Pepco, and the college will buy the solar energy produced from the company. The solar panels will form two rows of carports, which will cover nearly three-quarters of a parking lot. Students and staff will have the opportunity to view a kiosk that will include information about the amount of energy being produced and the amount of carbon emissions being offset. The college hopes to save $220,000 in utility costs in the first year. The solar photovoltaic system is expected to be completed by mid-August.
College of William & Mary Launches In-House Carbon Offset Program
Faculty, staff and students at the College of William & Mary (VA) now have the opportunity to contribute personally to an in-house carbon offset program. The program offers individuals and institutions ways to contribute money toward carbon reducing projects that offset their personal carbon producing lifestyles. The college plans to direct 100 percent of the donations to campus energy reduction projects. An example offset is $23 for each 1,000 miles driven in an SUV, truck or minivan, which will contribute to projects including the installation of occupancy sensors, fan drive upgrades, and heating and cooling upgrades. Participants will be able to contribute to energy-saving programs underway through a website that features a contribution calculator.
Dixie State College Plans Energy Efficiency Upgrade
Dixie State College (UT) has announced the launch of an energy efficiency upgrade that is expected to save $6.2 million in utility costs over the next 17 years. The college has entered into a $4 million contract with Johnson Controls that will replace hundreds of plumbing fixtures, seal buildings, upgrade thermostat controls and automate lighting and ventilation systems. If the project does not save at least $284,000 the first year, Johnson Controls will cover the difference.
Duke U Begins Coal-Free Era
For the first time since the 1920s, Duke University (NC) is not using coal to produce steam to heat buildings, sterilize surgical equipment or maintain proper humidity for artwork and lab research. The university has burned the last of its remaining stock of coal, a major phase of the university’s Climate Action Plan to become carbon neutral by 2024. The coal pile, which once stood high above the top of its giant containment area, hasn’t been replenished by rail car since February 2009 and now sits empty. Renovations to its West Campus steam plant started in May and are anticipated to be completed by October 2012. The university replaced the coal-fired boilers with gas-fired steam boilers in its East Campus plant last year.
Michigan State U Plans Wind Turbine Installation as Teaching Tool
Michigan State University has ordered four wind turbines and other renewable energy systems as part of its electrical technology teaching program and hands-on training apprenticeship. Part of a $100,000 technology budget, the Altronics Energy products will also serve as energy sources for the university.
Santa Barbara City College Shaves $650K off Energy Costs
Since rolling out its energy conservation and environmental impact plan in 2001, Santa Barbara City College (CA) has announced a total savings of $650,000 in energy costs. The college installed a 235-kilowatt solar array of photovoltaic carports in 2009, funded with a low-interest loan from the California Energy Commission and district construction funds. The college reports a savings of $90,000 per year in utility costs as a result of the system, which will pay for itself within 10 years. The college has also improved its stadium lighting system by installing automatic security lights that turn on and off at scheduled times, with game lights only turned on when necessary, and plans to implement an Internet-based energy management system that will allow the institution to monitor and control its lighting and mechanical equipment online.
Adelphi U Offsets 100% of Electricity with Wind Power
Adelphi University (NY) has announced plans to offset 100 percent of the electricity consumed on its Garden City campus with the purchase of 20,206,800 kilowatts hours of renewable energy credits generated by wind farms across the country. The university will purchase the credits through Colorado-based Renewable Choice Energy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that this purchase helps avoid a similar amount of CO2 emissions as that produced by nearly 2,775 passenger vehicles annually, or the electricity use of 1,761 average American homes. Renewable Choice Energy credits are third-party certified by Green-e Energy.
College of the Desert Announces Plan for Net-Zero Campus
The College of the Desert (CA) has announced a new partnership with Southern California Edison to unveil a net-zero West Valley Campus in 2014. The college will work with the utility company on a 10-megawatt solar installation. Other sustainable features of the new campus will include earth-shelter buildings, cross ventilation, drought-resistant landscaping and a cistern.
California State U Fullerton to Install 5,000 Solar Panels
California State University, Fullerton has announced the installation of 5,000 solar panels. The system will have a combined rating greater than one megawatt of power and will be installed at four sites around campus. The university expects to reduce its electricity costs by $8 million.
MIT Grad Students Win MIT Clean Energy Prize
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has announced that Cool Chip Technologies, made up of three graduate students from MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Sloan School of Management, has been named the top winner of the $200,000 MIT Clean Energy Prize. The group developed an improved cooling system for the processor chips used in data centers that it says could lead to savings of $6 billion a year for industry and the military. MIT student teams also swept the rest of the competition, winning in the clean non-renewables, transportation and renewables (MIT/Harvard University student team) categories. Now in its fourth year, the competition is open to teams from any U.S.-based institution. Each of the finalists received $15,000.
U Illinois Urbana-Champaign Scraps Wind Turbine Plans
Due to an estimated cost that rose to $5.2 million and opposition to its proposed location, the University of Illinois has decided to put an end to a plan to build a wind turbine on its Urbana-Champaign campus. The school had planned to erect the 400-foot-tall electricity-generating turbine just south of the Urbana, Ill. city limits.
U Richmond to Implement Solar Energy Pilot
The University of Richmond (VA) has announced new pilot solar projects that will hopefully lead to the expansion of solar energy on campus. Two campus apartment buildings have been chosen for new photovoltaic and water-heating solar panels to be installed this summer. The panels will be used to collect data from electricity and hot water usage. Two other apartments without panels will also be monitored for comparison.
Indiana U Coal Free Club Installs Campus Solar Panels
The Sierra Club Coal Free organization at Indiana University has installed eight solar panels on the roof of a campus building. The Indiana University Student Foundation awarded the club’s project with a $12,000 grant to fund the installation of the solar panels. There will also be a live monitor in the building to allow people to see how much energy is being used and how much energy is being generated by the solar installation.
U Mass Medical Conducts Wind Power Feasibility Study
The University of Massachusetts Medical School has initiated a wind study on campus, installing anemometers designed to measure wind speed and direction on the top levels of two campus parking garages. Currently available wind maps for the region suggest that sustained wind levels are not high enough on campus to make a wide-scale installation of wind turbines feasible or economical, so the instruments are being used to determine if there is enough wind blowing at these locations to generate electricity using small-scale wind turbines. Wind data will be collected through the summer, when wind levels tend to drop off. The additional data will be used to produce more accurate models of sustained wind levels on campus.
U Mass Medical Plans Computer Nightly Shut-Down Project
The University of Massachusetts Medical School's Information Services and Facilities departments are rolling out a program to target some 3,800 of the school's personal computers for nightly shutdown. A pilot shutdown program last year that covered 300 personal computers revealed that 65 percent of the computers, and 74 percent of the monitors, were left on overnight. With a software tool that programmed the computers to turn off at a certain time with flexibility that accounted for staff schedules and needed computer access, the pilot project resulted in an 80 percent shutdown. If the 3,800 administrative computers are brought into the shutdown program, the team estimates $100,000 in savings from reduced electricity consumption.
U Notre Dame Creates Sustainable Energy Center, Minor
The University of Notre Dame (IN) has established a Center for Sustainable Energy to enhance energy-related research and increase energy awareness through outreach and educational initiatives. The new center, which will sponsor a newly-created energy studies minor, will also serve as the primary campus hub for information or advice on energy topics and issues. The center will expand on the work of the Notre Dame Energy Center and Sustainable Energy Initiative to reach university students and the community with energy-related information and work with local science, technology and mathematics teachers to broaden their knowledge through research and curriculum development opportunities.
Independence CC Upgrades Infrastructure to Save Energy
Independence Community College (KS) has completed a $2.7 million infrastructure upgrade in an effort to conserve energy and save money. The energy conservation plan began with an energy audit of the college’s buildings and its systems. The college received a grant from the Kansas Corporation Commission as part of an ongoing conservation effort to assist in the cost of the audit. Energy saving measures included thousands of new light bulbs, electronic ballasts, motion detecting lights, a new HVAC system and the installation of energy-efficient vending machines. The project took nearly three months to complete and the college hopes to see significant cuts in energy bills.
Northwestern U Students Initiate First Campus Solar Array
Northwestern University (IL) has its first on-site renewable energy source thanks to some industrious students. Two different student groups raised $117,000 from on-campus and off-campus donations to help fund the Centennial Solar Panel System, a photovoltaic array that produces 20,000 kilowatt hours per year. The panels were placed atop the university's Ford Building, which houses a computer lab and machine lab that will be powered in part by the panels.
SUNY ESF to Debut Combined Heat and Power System
The State University New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry has received $963,000 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority for a combined heat and power (CHP) system for its new Gateway Building. Expected to reduce the campus-wide carbon footprint by 22 percent, the system will provide five total campus buildings with simultaneously produced thermal and electrical energy, a design that reduces waste energy and improves overall system efficiency. The biomass-based function will produce high-pressure steam to generate electricity by moving through a steam turbine before it is used to heat campus buildings. Three natural gas-fired microturbines will complement the biomass system to provide a balance of electricity and steam for heating, providing approximately 70 percent of campus heating needs and 20 percent of campus electrical needs.
U Minnesota Crookston On Track for 17% Energy Reduction
As a result of its Campus and Community Energy Challenges partnership with Otter Tail Power Company, the University of Minnesota, Crookston is on track to lower its overall electricity use by 17 percent. The campus' energy-efficient upgrades include more efficient lighting and automated controls on variable-frequency drives for the ventilation systems.
U North Texas Elliptical Machines Produce Electricity for Grid
The University of North Texas has installed the ReRev renewable energy system on 36 elliptical machines at its recreation center. The $20,000 system converts energy from a workout into electricity and feeds the electricity created back into the recreational center’s power grid. Elliptical machines in regular use can generate enough electricity every two days to power a laptop for 24 hours. The machines are also being used as an educational tool for students.
Utah State U Opens Solar-Powered Observatory
Utah State University has opened a new solar-powered observatory designed and built by students and faculty in the university's Department of Plants, Soils and Climate. The observatory will measure standard weather conditions, solar radiation and carbon dioxide, and features atmospheric visibility sensors. In addition to helping students study climate, the data collected will be available to the public online.
American U to Install 2,300 Solar Panels
American University (DC) has announced plans to install 2,300 solar photovoltaic panels spread across three on-campus buildings and three off-campus buildings. The six different solar sites will begin providing electricity to the university by July 2011 and are expected to reduce carbon emissions by 557 tons each year. The project will increase the solar capacity of the university from 27 kilowatts to more than 532 kilowatts, producing about 637 megawatt hours per year. Part of the installation will include solar thermal panels to provide hot water for dorms and the dining hall.
Mercer County CC to Debut 50-Acre Solar Farm
With funding and planning help from the Mercer County Improvement Authority, Mercer County Community College (NJ) has announced plans to build a 50-acre solar farm that will provide the campus with 70 percent of its electrical power. The college also plans to use the solar farm as a hands-on educational tool for students to learn more about renewable energy.
Texas A&M U Launches First Solar Energy System
Texas A&M University has begun working on a $200,000 project to install solar panels that will provide 30 kilowatts of power to its campus. For its first solar energy system, the university chose the roof of the Netum Steed Laboratory for maximum visibility. Crowds in attendance at the football stadium will be able to look down from the bleachers and see the panels. The project will test different types of panels to optimize which technology performs best at the site’s location.
U Houston Plans First Solar Array and Solar Energy Internship
The University of Houston (TX) has received $140,000 from Green Mountain Energy Company for the installation of its first solar array and the two will partner for the university's first solar energy internship program. The 88-panel solar array will be mounted on the roof of the university's Central Utility Plant, saving an estimated $300,000 in annual electricity costs. The university will use this savings to fund the solar energy internship program. One student intern will be paid $1,000 per academic semester starting in fall 2011. The student will keep track of the solar array's performance, update the solar array webpage and execute one on-campus educational event per semester.
U Wisconsin-Milwaukee Embarks on Extensive Energy Upgrades
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has partnered with Honeywell International for three 20-year performance contracts to improve the energy efficiency of its campus buildings. The three 20-year performance contracts will allow the university to pay for the upgrades using the savings they generate. The university has completed the initial energy audit phase, which included individual building energy analysis and initial “low-hanging fruit” fixes such as retrofitting light fixtures, improving weatherization and installing updated, energy-efficient plumbing fixtures that conserve water. The Energy Matters program is expected to reduce energy and operating expenses by $30.8 million over the next two decades and decrease annual carbon dioxide emissions by an anticipated 31 million pounds.
Virginia Tech Approves Solar Array
Virginia Tech has approved a plan to install 480 solar panels atop a new parking garage on campus. The photovoltaic array will generate about 136,415 kilowatts per hour annually, accounting for 13 percent of the garage’s energy. The funding for the $1.3 million project is coming from federal stimulus money and also from Virginia state grants.
Southern Illinois U Edwardsville Installs Wind Turbine
Southern Illinois University has installed a wind turbine at the Environmental Resources Training Center on its Edwardsville campus. The turbine will be used in coordination with recently installed solar panels to produce 40 percent of the center's power. The $100,000 turbine is being funded with two state-based grants.
SUNY System Works Toward Clean Energy Economy
State University of New York (SUNY) is moving into the final phase of its Energy-Smart New York strategic plan, which aims to position the 64-campus system as a key developer of green technologies and train a New York-based workforce for the clean energy economy. The plan includes numerous green energy improvements on its campuses throughout the state. Albany’s NanoCollege has received a $57.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to create a photovoltaic manufacturing consortium. SUNY Ulster is scheduled to install two pole-mounted photovoltaic systems in the spring with help from students. Hudson Valley Community College recently opened the Training and Education Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing and Alternative and Renewable Technologies.
U California Davis Pilots National Lab 'Freezer Challenge'
The University of California, Davis is one of several institutions piloting the "Freezer Challenge," a friendly national competition among higher education laboratories to save energy and promote best practices for cold storage and sample management. The competition, which also includes pilot institutions University of Pennsylvania; the University of California, Santa Barbara; the University of Colorado at Boulder; and Harvard University (MA), will allow competing campuses to gain points by undertaking various best practices including cleaning out freezers, retiring old freezers/refrigerators and saving energy. The challenge runs from April 1 to May 14, 2011.
Emory U Implements Campus-Wide Set Temperature Policy
Emory University (GA) has announced a new plan to manage temperature settings in its office spaces and public and common areas in most campus buildings starting in July. The joint effort, led by Campus Services and the Office of Sustainability Initiatives, will implement a set temperature policy that calls for 76 degrees during the cooling season and 68 degrees during the heating season.
Humboldt State U Developing Portable Biomass Energy System
Researchers at Humboldt State University's (CA) Schatz Energy Research Center have partnered with Renewable Fuel Technologies to develop a self-sustaining, portable system that transforms biomass into renewable energy. Student research assistants will help torrefy woods of different types and moisture contents, a process where biomass is heated without oxygen to temperatures between 250 and 300 degrees Celsius. Their results will help inform design aspects for a final commercial product. Forest biomass, already used to generate 40 percent of Humboldt County’s electricity, will play an important role in a partnership between the Schatz Energy Research Center, the California Energy Commission and Redwood Coast Energy Authority to create a strategy to meet 75 percent of Humboldt County’s energy needs with renewable energy.
