Lone Star College Installs Solar, Wind Energy Systems
The college has installed two solar panels, two solar tracking arrays and three wind generators to provide energy to the electrical system. The systems will also be used as teaching tools in advanced technology courses. Funding for the installations was provided by a $400,000 grant from the State Energy Conservation Office.
Temple U Installs Solar Powered Tables
The university has installed three solar-powered charging stations on campus. In addition to the renewable power source they offer, the Solar Dok patio tables are constructed of plastic materials made from 1,200 recycled plastic milk jugs.
Hollins U Installs Geothermal Well System
The university has completed the construction of a geothermal well field that will serve Tinker Hall, the largest student residence on campus. The system is expected to improve temperature control and indoor air quality, and reduce energy costs.
Tennessee Technological U Installs Solar Panels
The university has connected several large solar panels to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s power grid. The university received a one-time $1,000 payment as an incentive for becoming a TVA Generation Partner and will receive 12 cents for each kilowatt of power the panels produce.
California State U Sacramento to Buy Power from Solar Panels
(U.S.): The university is set to begin buying electricity generated by solar panels on the roofs of the campus library and recreation center at a constant rate of 11 cents per kilowatt-hour for the next 20 years. The privately owned and maintained solar system generates about 1.6 percent of the campus' total usage.
Montana State U Explores Geothermal-Based Heating and Cooling
(U.S.): In an ongoing effort to implement a comprehensive energy plan, the university has begun drilling test bore holes to explore the use of geothermal-based heating and cooling as a way to reduce energy consumption and costs on campus. After the holes are drilled, a group of engineering students will take part in the process of attaching testing equipment to the systems and analyzing the data collected.
U West England Installs 2 Solar Arrays
(England): The university, in partnership with Solarsense, has constructed a 50-kilowatt array on its Centre for Sport and a 32-kilowatt array atop the Department of Planning and Architecture. The university is also implementing a program to replace existing campus lights with low energy lamps.
Western Nevada College Constructs Second Solar Array
(U.S): The college, in partnership with Black Rock Solar, has constructed a 100-kilowatt photovoltaic array consisting of 840 panels. The system is expected to save the college $14,000 per year in energy costs.
U Hawaii Manoa Enters Power Purchase Agreement
The agreement signed between the university and SolarCity will provide renewable energy to the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology for the next 20 years. As part of the agreement, SolarCity has begun to install, and will own and maintain, a series of photovoltaic systems with the capacity to provide an estimated 25 percent of the institute’s energy needs, with 260 kilowatts of generation capacity. The project received financial support from the Center for a Sustainable Future, and is expected to provide up to $2.3 million in cost savings to the university.
Desert Research Institute Installs Solar Array
The institute, in partnership with Black Rock Solar, has constructed a 100-kilowatt photovoltaic array to offset the energy costs of its laboratory facilities. The cost was fully subsidized by NV Energy’s Solar Generations Program. The institute has also partnered with the State Works Division and Hamilton Solar to construct a 365-kilowatt solar array on its Las Vegas campus.
U Georgia Installs Pilot Solar Photovoltaic Modules
If the pilot installation atop the College of Environment and Design is successful in terms of clean energy efficiency, the university will consider further solar installations. Grants, student fees and a utility award from the university’s Facilities Management Division funded the project.
Central Connecticut State U Installs 1.4 MW Fuel Cell Power Plant
The university's new power plant is expected to reduce energy costs by $100,000 per year. The $9 million project was funded in part by $3.4 million provided by the Connecticut Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority. Greenwood Energy developed and financed the project, and will own the plant and sell power and steam to the university as part of a long-term energy purchase agreement.
Harford CC Approves Power Purchase Agreement
The college has entered into a power purchase agreement with Tecta Solar that is expected to save the college more than $1 million in energy costs over 20 years. The company will install a solar energy system on campus and sell the panels to a third party, which would then sell the energy generated from the panels back to the college at a discounted rate. The project will provide a website that will allow faculty and students to monitor the energy generated.
Southern Polytechnic State U Installs Solar Panels, Greenhouse
Two sets of solar panels have been installed to provide power to a new greenhouse that is expected to be complete by August. The project will provide the Alternative Energy Center and students with opportunities to collaborate. The solar panels were funded by a grant from the 2009 American Recovery and Investment Act on behalf of Marietta Power and Water, the local municipal utility.
Western Carolina U Meets State Energy Reduction Goal
Working from a 2002-03 baseline, the university has reduced its energy consumption by 30 percent. The university credits its success to student involvement and energy-saving measures including taking older buildings offline and ensuring new construction employs high building standards and energy efficiency. These conservation efforts have resulted in $13.8 million in energy savings since 2002-03. As mandated by the state, all universities in the University of North Carolina system are required to meet this goal by 2015.
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Installs Solar Array
The college, in partnership with New Richmond Utilities and WPPI Energy, has installed a 4-kilowatt photovoltaic solar system. The project is expected to save approximately $650 annually and will provide educational opportunities for students in the Industrial Automation and Controls Networking program.
Auburn U Uses Solar Power to Charge Electric Vehicles
(U.S.): Facilities Management, in partnership with the Office of Sustainability, has funded a pilot project for the installation of 24 solar panels atop the stadium parking deck. The solar system is designed to offset the energy used for 10 electric charging stations that have been installed on the lower level of the parking deck. The system is also expected to offset the energy to power lighting when the charging stations are not in use.
Cebu Technological U to Establish Renewable Energy Center
(Philippines): The university has received a grant to establish an Affiliated Renewable Energy Center to pursue a national program for the development of indigenous energy resources. As part of an agreement with the Department of Energy, a solar waste pumping station project will also be implemented.
Institutions Weigh Natural Gas Options in Face of Rising Tuitions
(U.S.): A solution to rising tuition prices is one reason that colleges and universities in the shale-gas zone, which extends from New York to Ohio and West Virginia, are considering the option of opening campus land to natural gas drilling, reports a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article. Pros include the money, research opportunities and new gas industry programs that "fracking" (a controversial extraction method for natural gas) would bring. Also tempting is a proposed bill that would allow Pennsylvania's public colleges to keep the money that comes from drilling for gas on their land and use it for energy-efficiency projects or a backlog of deferred maintenance, which stands at $2 billion systemwide. Cons include the environmental, socioeconomic, and public-image implications of pursuing fracking on university land in the face of local community opposition and institutionalized sustainability commitments. A new state law that directs Ohio's state institutions to inventory their parcels and determine whether gas companies can drill on them also has Ohio institutions worried that they will be forced into gas leases.
Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management Goes Solar
(India): A 50-kilowatt solar power plant was installed aimed at providing clean energy to the institute. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who also advocated rainwater harvesting to conserve ground water, inaugurated the plant.
U Lisbon Wins Nationwide Green Campus Challenge
(Portugal): The University of Lisbon has been named the winner of Portugal's Green Campus Challenge: Energy Efficiency in Higher Education. After an energy analysis of one of their buildings, during which they created an energy profile that distinguished the thermal and electrical energy sectors, the Faculty of Science team presented a set of technical and behavioral changes to reduce energy consumption that included energy, economic and environmental savings.
U Mass Medical Installs LED Light Fixtures
(U.S.): A wing of recently renovated offices for research staff features the first installation of an integrated LED system for offices on campus. In combination with new lighting controls, the LED fixtures are expected to be 30 to 50 percent more energy efficient, and last up to seven years longer than the fluorescent lamps used elsewhere on campus.
U Tennessee Knoxville Installs Solar Secure Structure
(U.S.): The university has installed a new solar powered wireless structure that provides self-sufficient power and a communications source for Emergency Assistance Stations, video surveillance, LED lighting and wireless Internet. The SunStation also features a power outlet, allowing students the convenience to stay connected by using their laptops, cell phones and other technology outdoors.
Milwaukee Area Technical College Plans Wind Turbine
The college’s Center for Energy Conservation and Advanced Manufacturing has announced plans to install a 47-foot wind turbine at its Oak Creek campus. If approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, the turbine would join the campus' 510-kilowatt Photovoltaic Educational Laboratory solar array.
U Michigan Opens Sustainable Computing Data Center
The new data center has the capacity to house up to 1 megawatt of high-performance computing equipment in a compact container the size of several shipping containers. With the flexibility to expand its capacity as needed, the center is designed to cool equipment 75 percent of the year with the use of outdoor air.
Luther College Debuts 280 kW Solar Energy Field
The college's recently installed $1.2 million solar energy field is expected to go online by the end of July. Located on a two-acre site, the 280-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system features 1,250 solar panels mounted in six rows. The solar field will provide electricity used by Baker Village, an all-electric student housing facility that uses geothermal energy for heating and cooling.
Mercer County CC Solar Project to Meet 70% of Electricity Needs
The upcoming 8-megawatt solar installation on campus, funded by the Mercer County Improvement Authority, is expected to meet 70 percent of the college’s electricity needs. This will yield an approximate savings of $1 million per year in electricity costs.
Bill Could Expand Drilling on Pennsylvania College Campuses
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has voted 131 to 68 to approve a bill that could expand oil and gas drilling on public-university campuses in the state. The legislation, which awaits a final vote in the State Senate, would allow colleges to keep 40 percent of any royalties; 15 percent of which would have to be devoted to reducing tuition costs.
Northwestern U Wins National Clean Energy Biz Plan Competition
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that NuMat Technologies from Northwestern University (IL) won the first-ever DOE National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition. Part of the Obama Administration's Startup America Initiative, the competition aims to inspire university teams across the country and promote entrepreneurship in clean energy technologies that will boost American competitiveness. NuMat Technologies presented a plan to commercialize a nanomaterial that stores gases at lower pressure, reducing infrastructure costs and increasing design flexibility.
Stanford U Receives $1.6 M Energy Rebate
After retrofitting four campus buildings for greater energy efficiency, the university has earned $1.64 million in cash rebates from Pacific Gas & Electric through the utility's incentive programs. Upgrades to heating, cooling, ventilation, electrical and water systems over the last two years are expected to save more than $1.8 million annually in energy costs.
Syracuse U Installs Energy-Efficient Upgrades to Steam Station
Two recently installed air compressors will cut the steam plant's water use by three million gallons a year and save electricity. The university estimates that the new equipment will lower the steam station’s compressed-air costs by as much as 57 percent per year.
U California Davis Unveils Outdoor 'Smart' Lighting System
Part of the university's Smart Lighting Initiative, the nearly-completed $1 million network of "smart" lights can coordinate with each other and adapt to their environment. The system senses occupants and can be scheduled and adjusted for increased or decreased levels of activity. The new outdoor lights are expected to save the university $100,000 a year in electricity costs and offset the equivalent annual greenhouse gas emissions of 135 cars and trucks. Later this year, the university will begin the installation of adaptive, networked lighting on the inside of campus buildings.
U Findlay Debuts Wind Turbine, Solar Array
The university has announced the completion of a wind turbine and solar panel array that will be used to power student housing facilities. The installations will also serve as a learning tool for students in the environmental, safety and health management fields.
Stanford U Announces Green Energy Systems Makeover
The university's Stanford Energy Systems Innovations (SESI) project will convert all campus steam piping to hot water and replace the current cogeneration plant with a new heat recovery facility. Once complete, SESI is expected to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent and campus potable water use by 18 percent. The university has launched a website for those interested in following the project through an interactive campus map that shows current and upcoming areas of construction.
Montclair State U to Develop CHCP Power System
(U.S.): The university has partnered with Energenic-US, LLC to develop a new environmentally friendly combined heating, cooling and power system for its campus. The new facility and its related infrastructure improvements will replace the campus' existing energy plant, which began generating steam in the 1940s.
Sultan Qaboos U Installs Photovoltaic Test Bed System
(South Korea): The 1-kilowatt Desert Photovoltaic Test Bed System will provide students with the opportunity to study and develop solar power systems. The university has also announced plans to introduce a postgraduate program in renewable energy in the near future.
Telford College Begins Renewable Energy Overhaul
(U.K.): The college has announced plans to install up to 650 solar roof panels as part of a phased program to introduce a range of low carbon technologies expected to power the campus when complete. The first phase of the Solar Roof Project was developed in partnership with Heriot-Watt University and iPower. The second phase of the project will involve research to look at additional ways to generate greater amounts of energy and educational co-benefits including fuel cell and solar thermal technology.
Baylor U Installs 200 kW Solar Array as Teaching Tool
In addition to providing power for a portion of core campus buildings, the 858-module array will also be used as a tool for students to learn about sustainable energy. The panels are expected to pay for themselves within 10 years through energy cost savings.
Florida A&M U Plans Energy Efficiency Campus Makeover
The university has partnered with Siemens to implement a $12.2 million performance contract that will generate about $1.2 million in annual energy savings. The 18-month project will include the decentralization of the university’s central steam plant heating system, a solar thermal heating system for the swimming pool, and building automation improvements.
Massachusetts Institutions Partner to Advance Sustainability
Clark University, College of the Holy Cross and Worcester Polytechnic Institute have partnered with National Grid and GreenerU to establish "SynergE Worcester,” an initiative that will facilitate energy efficiency and other sustainability advances within the regional higher education community. The program will target energy efficiency installations that reduce fuel and utility costs for the schools; engage students, faculty and staff in energy and sustainability initiatives; and use innovative financing to bring about reductions in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
New Installation at Harvard U Brings Solar Capacity to 1 MW
The university has installed its largest solar project to date, an array of 2,275 solar photovoltaic panels on 1.5 acres of roof space. The project will deliver energy directly to the university’s electrical grid and is expected to provide 591.5 kilowatts of electricity to homes, buildings and lighting for the university’s athletic fields. Together with the 500-kilowatt Arsenal Mall solar project installed in 2009, the university now has more than 1 megawatt of installed solar photovoltaic capacity on campus.
Oregon Institute of Technology Installs Solar Array
The recent installation is expected to save the institute $3.3 million in energy costs over the next 25 years. With a large portion of its energy already supplied by an on-site geothermal plant, the addition of solar panels will set the institute up to receive the majority of its power from an alternative energy source.
Students Gear Up for EcoCar2 Competition
Fifteen teams of undergraduates recently gathered in Los Angeles for the first-year assessment of the U.S. Department of Energy's three-year world-wide competition to design environmentally friendly cars, known as EcoCar. All teams proposed some type of plug-in hybrid arrangement using rechargeable batteries, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. While about 75 percent of EcoCar alums have ended up with jobs in the automotive industry, the article looks at ways that the competition series could do more to advance new energy technologies in the marketplace.
National Outdoor School Completes Solar Array, Geothermal System
The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) has unveiled an 11-kilowatt solar array addition on its Rocky Mountain operations building, the final part of a larger renovation that includes a new geothermal system and additional energy efficient renovations. The array, the final phase of a 25-kilowatt array at the facility, was funded by Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky renewable energy program.
U Wisconsin Eau Claire Student Center to Go Carbon Neutral
The university’s Student Senate has approved a partnership with Xcel Energy’s Windsource program to purchase renewable energy credits to offset 100 percent of the energy consumed by its new student center. The Student Office of Sustainability’s green fund will cover the purchase of offsets at a cost of approximately $13,500.
Egypt University Pilots Solar/Biomass Hybrid Power Project
(Egypt): A consortium of European governments, universities and research institutions are funding a solar/biomass hybrid power plant pilot project in Egypt that uses molten salts as the heat transfer fluid. An experimental demonstration plant will be built at the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) near Alexandria, Egypt that will co-generate one megawatt of electricity and four megawatts of thermal energy to power air conditioning equipment for buildings.
Kent State U Installing First Renewable Energy Project
(U.S.): More than 1,000 solar panels will be installed at the Kent State Field House by July as the university's first renewable project on campus. The university does not initially own the solar panel system, but will purchase the electricity produced with the option to purchase the system after seven years.
Madurai Kamaraj U Plans Solar Panels for 10 Buildings
(India): Following the installation of an eight-panel solar plant on campus last month during a three-day international workshop conference on renewable energy, the university has announced plans to install rooftop solar panels on at least 10 campus building as part of a "Go Green" initiative.
