Energy
Introduction
For most institutions, energy consumption is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global climate change. Implementing conservation measures and switching to renewable sources of energy can help institutions save money and protect them from utility rate volatility. Renewable energy may be generated locally and allow campuses to support local economic development. Furthermore, institutions can help shape markets by creating demand for cleaner, renewable sources of energy.
Featured Resources
New Resources
Developing a Large-Scale Solar Project on Campus
- AMSOLAR International (CA)
A large private university entered into a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement in 2010 with a solar development company focused on the education sector. The project was completed in fall 2010 ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Appalachian State University Renewable Energy Initiative: Education for the Future
- Appalachian State University (NC)
The Renewable Energy Initiative, ASUREI, is a student-led organization funded by student fees. We seek to reduce the environmental impact of our university in Boone, NC by funding, designing and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Obtaining Wind and Solar-Produced Electricity for Your Campus
- Austin Energy (TX)
Wind and solar farm developers need credit-worthy customers willing to commit to long-term purchase contracts for the energy that these facilities will generate. Some colleges and universities have an appetite ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Dynamic Dashboard and Campus Design Platform
- Buro Happold (NY)
The platform is a web-based 3-D city performance visualization and analysis program; an interactive dashboard of portfolio performance and conceptual strategy development. It visualizes large amounts of building/portfolio performance ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Feasibility Study of Bio-Gas Digesters and Composting Systems for A University Campus
- Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
Our research examines the feasibility of building and operating a biogas digestion unit for Carnegie Mellon University as a way to compost organic waste, offset energy use, and output a ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Partnerships Achieving Breakthrough Energy and Greenhouse Performance Utilizing Innovative Investment Strategies
- Drexel University (PA)
Innovative business models and financing solutions are required to drive the next level of efficiency and sustainability on campus. Blue Hill Partners, a Philadelphia based firm, has teamed with the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Monitoring Energy Use to Educate Students and Reduce Energy Consumption
- Guilford College (NC)
The Energy Allowance Program allows residents living in the North Apartment suites and the Theme Houses a monthly energy allowance. This program raises awareness about personal energy use, which helps ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Go Green Reporting Service and Gadget: Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Computing
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
Driven by a desire to better understand the impact of personal computing on the environment, the GoGreen Gadget aims to change user behavior by showing participants how much electricity and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Bike Shelter Project: Promoting Green Energy and Green Transportation
- Ithaca College (NY)
This presentation will detail the results of an undergraduate's semester-long sustainability project exploring the feasibility of a bike shelter with integrated renewable energy technology. The student researched the technology ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Designing An Energy Management Strategy for Campus Residence Halls: The View from the Trenches
- James Madison University (VA)
Residence halls can account for significant proportions of campus energy use. Strategically managing this building portfolio is a challenge, and encompasses behavioral, operational, and technical management. This paper reports on ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Understanding the Limits of Student Conservation Efforts on Campus Energy Consumption
- James Madison University (VA)
Many campus sustainability initiatives focus heavily on student energy conservation in residence halls. However, outside of energy competitions using such feedback tools as dashboards and kiosks, there is little evidence ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Integrating Dorm Energy Meters Across the Curriculum
- Lasell College (MA)
Dorm energy meters provide a wealth of data that can be integrated across the curriculum to promote connected learning. While the benefits of dorm energy meters for plant operations and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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2% through behavior: The Inside Scoop on one College's Ambitious Energy Conservation Goal
- Luther College (IA)
In addition to aggressive energy efficiency upgrades, one small college has committed to reducing energy consumption 2%/year through behavior change. This is am ambitious goal, but through creative programming ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Effects of Residence Hall Submetering on Student's Reported Energy and Water Use at Lynchburg College
- University of Lynchburg (VA)
Submetering of buildings is commonly cited as a useful tool in not only identifying water leaks or equipment problems, but also in encouraging energy and water conservation among building occupants ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Successes and Challenges of MIT's Utility Partnership for Energy Efficiency
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
In May 2010, MIT established MIT Efficiency Forward: a ground breaking, multi-million dollar collaborative energy conservation and efficiency program with our electric and gas utility company NSTAR. The program is ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Climate Neutrality, Zero Net Energy Campuses, and Climate Action Plans - OH MY!
- Mount Wachusett Community College (MA)
As the number of signatories to the American College and University President's Climate Commitment increases and Sustainability Teams effectively strengthen the trend for Climate Action Plans that target Carbon ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Going Underground on Campus
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
This panel session will highlight lessons learned and steps used when campuses put to use a range of types of geothermal heating and cooling strategies. Success stories to be shared ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cogeneration: Creating Sustainable Energy for the Future at NYU
- New York University (NY)
College campuses have a major opportunity for energy use reductions: district heat and power, also known as cogeneration. This presentation will examine NYU's new cogeneration power plant located underneath ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Fracking with Higher Education: Student Activism and Mobilization in the National and Local Context
- New York University (NY)
What does the modern student movement look like on today's college campuses? How do they mobilize, communicate, and orchestrate their action? What are their tactics? Sit-ins? Boycotts? Petitions? Facebook ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building Energy Analysis: Supply and Demand, Trending and Exception Reporting
- North Carolina State University (NC)
In a university setting, the Energy Management Unit is responsible for all utility metering data for the 13 million square foot campus. This data includes the natural gas (NG), fuel ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Analysis, Energy Consumption Analysis, and Sustainability Reporting for Higher Education
- North Carolina State University (NC)
In order to analyze our GHG inventory, energy data from the central utility plants, building meters, transportation data, and carbon offset data is uploaded to an online system. The data ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Developing Energy Leaders for the Future
- North Carolina State University (NC)
Campus sustainability and energy initiatives can be challenging to tackle for a land grant university large enough to be a city of its own. Many different departments and programs are ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Campus Conservation Nationals: Lessons Learned by Competing to Reduce Dormitory Water and Electricity Use
- Oberlin College (OH)
During fall of 2010, 120,000 students at 39 colleges and universities participated in the "Campus Conservation Nationals" (CCN), a three week competition to reduce electricity and water use in ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Embodied Energy of Water
- Organica Water (NJ)
Too often energy conservation and water conservation are separated as two very distinct and separate issues. The reality of it is that they are both very much interdependent. Energy is ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Zero Environmental Impact and the Water Hurdle
- Organica Water (NJ)
There is a vision and a movement toward buildings with zero environmental impact. It can be said, that the only building that truly doesn't have an impact on the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Renew Crew Honduras: A Replicable University Service-Learning Initiative for Hands-On Experience in Renewable Energy Technology
- Pennsylvania State University (PA)
As part of an embedded energy and engineering service learning initiative, the Renew Crew, eleven university students, installed a solar photovoltaic array for a community owned and operated well in ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cleantech business incubation on campus: Accelerating the Journey from innovation to impact
- Polytechnic Institute of New York (NY)
The University-managed clean energy business incubator aspires to have a positive impact on the economic and environmental health of New York City by maximizing the success of emerging cleantech companies ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Path to the Net Zero Building: What You Can Learn from One College's Success Story
- Portland Community College (OR)
In the fall of 2011, Portland Community College (PCC) will begin classes in one of the first Net-Zero academic buildings in the state of Oregon. The 5-classroom, 13,000- square-foot ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Green Wave: Engaging Students and Benefitting the Community through an Energy Audit Training Course
- San Jose State University (CA)
This session focus on a pilot energy efficiency audit training program, the Green Wave, launched in 2011 by San Jose State University and two partner organizations, the City of San ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Zero Net Energy Buildings are NEXT - A Proposal for Getting There
- Sasaki Associates, Inc. (MA)
Zero Net Energy Buildings (ZNEB) are the NEXT frontier for the the sustainable building industry. While LEED Gold and even Platinum buildings are becoming more common, there remain few Zero ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Tracking Campus Energy Use: Building a Database from the Ground Up
- Skidmore College (NY)
Some college campuses use networked electricity meters, so that power consumption data can be read online. However, at the presenters' institution, the system was fraught with multiple problems: memory space ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Economic and Environmental Benefits of Campus Scale Biodiesel Production
- Springboard Biodiesel (CA)
As the leading manufacturer of small scale biodiesel processors in a growing industry, Springboard Biodiesel has helped to install more than 6 mm gallons of annual biodiesel production capacity spread ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Getting to 30% Greenhouse Gas Reduction from Energy Consumed in Buildings
- St. John's University, New York (NY)
St. John's University - New York (STJ), a leader in PLaNYC 2030's "University Challenge", first private university to sign a MOU with EPA, and charter participant in AASHE STARS ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Student Center Features New High Efficiency Central Geothermal Technology
- Trane (TX)
In July 2010 the school broke ground on a three-story, 70,000-square-foot student center scheduled for November 2011 completion. The new building is slated to achieve Leadership in Energy and ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Path to Energy Independence: Green Workforce Development on the Most Remote Islands in the World
- University of Hawaii Maui College (HI)
The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) calls for 70% energy independence in the State of Hawaii by 2030. A recent Hawaii Green Workforce Development Report claimed that the future is ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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How to (Not) Build a Wind Turbine
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (IL)
On-campus wind energy is a strategy often considered by institutions in plans to reduce carbon emissions, hedge against volatile energy costs and meet renewable energy goals. However, such projects can ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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EMpowered: Using Web-Based Energy Dashboards as a Delivery Platform for Culture Change Programming
- University of Kentucky (KY)
Energy dashboards have become a common tool for providing feedback regarding resource consumption and conducting energy reduction competitions. Our approach in developing the EMpowered project was to significantly broaden this ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Community organizing for energy conservation: The Power Police
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
The Power Police is a project of the Energy Efficiency Student Alliance (EESA) and Energy Management. The Power Police install powerstrips, timers, and light switch stickers in consenting offices during ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Capping campus energy consumption despite massive growth: The Oregon Model for Sustainable Development
- University of Oregon (OR)
The Oregon Model for Sustainable Development is a new policy that places a firm ceiling on campus energy consumption. To achieve it, new construction projects must meet aggressive energy efficiency ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Generating Real Savings: Williams College's Integrated Energy Management Strategy a Year Later
- Williams College (MA)
Instituting a comprehensive energy management strategy was an opportunity for Williams College to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy and money, drive behavioral changes, and bring together diverse stakeholders with ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Driving Down Energy Use While Your IT Load Increases
- Stanford University (CA)
In January 2009 Stanford University undertook the challenge of reducing electricity and chilled water usage in the main 20,000 square foot datacenter.
A year later, IT Load is up ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Cutting Carbon through Energy Efficiency, Technology, and Behavior Change
- University of Florida (FL)
A review of programs at the University of Florida addressing structural and behavioral energy savings.
Buildings account for ~70% of the UF's GHG emissions, and energy efficiency is a ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Enterprising Students Lead Campus Sustainability Initiatives at Michigan Tech
- Michigan Technological University (MI)
Michigan Technological University's innovative, student-centered educational initiative, the Enterprise Program, now has a team focused on advancing campus sustainability. Students enrolled in a variety of Enterprises form interdisciplinary teams ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Scientists: Integrating Lab Users into Sustainable Laboratory Solutions
- University of Notre Dame (IN)
Research laboratories are typically the most energy-intensive spaces on university campuses. While energy usage is largely driven by ventilation needs, plug loads and user behavior are significant factors. Barriers to ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Green Billion-Dollar Challenge: Innovative Endowment Investing in Energy Efficiency
- Sustainable Endowments Institute (MA)
- Clean Air-Cool Planet (NH)
- GreenerU (MA)
Facing burdensome budget cuts and unstable energy costs, many colleges are grappling with how to finance urgently needed, but capital-intensive, energy efficiency retrofits. In response to this need, the panel ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Building Energy Systems: Independent Evaluation for Improved Decision-Making
- EarthLinked Technologies (FL)
- Southern Research Institute (NC)
Southern Research Institute - an affiliate of UAB - operates the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Technology Center for the U.S. EPA. The GHG Center evaluates technologies that provide improved energy efficiency, GHG ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Building a sustainable data center
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
Between 2000 and 2005 the footprint of our data center grew by 1000%. Clear patterns evolved showing the growth rate would continue and we were on an unsustainable path. Beginning ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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LED University - Sharing the Experience, Expertise and Excitement of LED Lighting
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Marquette University (WI)
- North Carolina State University (NC)
- University of California, Davis (CA)
- Cree (NC)
The LED University® program helps colleges and universities around the world begin deploying LED lighting to significantly reduce energy use for lighting while dramatically lowering maintenance costs. According to the ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The End of Oil: A Model Course for Sustainability Education
- Prescott College (AZ)
Because energy is central to all socio-ecological systems, a course on energy can easily become a course on everything. Therein lies both the promise and the challenge of a course ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Financing Renewable Energy Installations on University and College Campuses
- Eastern Connecticut State University (CT)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC)
- University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)
- University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (WI)
When you evaluate the plans filed with ACUPCC for achieving Zero-Carbon by 2050, virtually every plan dependents on the installation and operation of on-site renewable energy. With today's difficult ...
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
OP 5: Building Energy Efficiency
- Total performance year site energy consumption per unit of floor area
- Total performance year source energy consumption per unit of floor area
- Percent reduction in total source energy consumption per unit of floor area from baseline
- Description of initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices in regard to energy efficiency
- Description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution
- Description of LED lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies
- Description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies
- Description of co-generation employed by the institution
- Description of initiatives to replace energy-consuming equipment with high efficiency alternatives
- Website URL - Energy conservation and efficiency program
OP 6: Clean and Renewable Energy
- Percent of total energy consumption from clean and renewable sources
- Website URL - Clean and renewable energy programs
- Percent of electricity from coal
- Percent of electricity from geothermal
- Percent of electricity from hydro
- Percent of electricity from natural gas
- Percent of electricity from nuclear energy
- Percent of electricity from solar photovoltaic
- Percent of electricity from wind
- Percent of electricity from wind
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.