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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.

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Cornell University buildings on the Ithaca campus, which are individually metered and receive unit by unit utility billing

Cornell University Ithaca Campus: Energy Direct Billing

  • Cornell University (NY)

A new Energy Direct Billing budget model went into effect at Cornell University in 2014, making each college/unit on campus responsible for its own utility bill. This model provides a …

50 MW Wind Energy Purchase from Blue Creek Wind Farm

  • The Ohio State University (OH)

In October 2012, Ohio State University signed a power purchase agreement with Iberdrola Renewables to purchase 50 megawatts (MW) of wind energy capacity from the Blue Creek Wind Farm, a …

  • Posted Oct. 10, 2017
  • Green Power Projects
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2 MW Horn Point Solar Project

  • University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (MD)
  • Standard Solar

UMCES partnered with Standard Solar, Inc. to install a 2MW solar field on approximately 10 acres of its Horn Point Laboratory campus. It is expected to generate approximately 50% of …

  • Posted Oct. 9, 2017
  • Green Power Projects
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4.5 MW Solar Farm

  • California Polytechnic State University (CA)
  • REC Solar (CA)

Cal Poly has a 4.5 MW solar farm on 18.5-acres on the western edge of its campus. It was financed, designed, constructed and is maintained by REC Solar under a …

  • Posted Oct. 9, 2017
  • Green Power Projects
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32.5 MW Off-Site Solar Farm: MD Solar 1 (in progress)

  • Georgetown University (DC)

In September 2017, Georgetown University engaged Origis Energy USA to develop a 32.5-megawatt off-site solar power system on 518 acres in Charles County, Maryland. When complete in summer of 2019, …

  • Posted Oct. 9, 2017
  • Green Power Projects
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3.8 MW Solar Installation at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine

  • Tufts University (MA)
  • NRG Energy, Inc (NJ)

Two new solar installations - a 2.5 MW DC project built on eight acres and a 1.27 MW DC project on four acres - at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine …

  • Posted Oct. 9, 2017
  • Green Power Projects
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321 kW Solar Park

  • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (AR)

The 321 kW solar park is part of a $19.3 million energy performance contract that is expected to reduce UAPB’s energy consumption by 32 percent.

  • Posted Oct. 9, 2017
  • Green Power Projects
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25 kW solar array: Skokie campus

  • Oakton Community College (IL)

The 25 kW roof-mounted system consists of approximately 80 solar panels and was completed on June 20, 2017. The Skokie campus is also home to a test system that provides …

  • Posted Oct. 6, 2017
  • Green Power Projects
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2017 U.S. Energy and Employment Report

  • United States Department of Energy (DC)

The 2017 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) finds that the Traditional Energy and Energy Efficiency sectors today employ approximately 6.4 million Americans. These sectors increased in 2016 by just …

  • Posted Sept. 21, 2017
  • Publications
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Solar Training and Hiring Insights 2017

This report aims to increase understanding of U.S. solar training, hiring practices, and market trends to help the industry make better, more informed decisions. It aggregates and analyzes data from …

  • Posted Sept. 11, 2017
  • Publications
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Solar Energy Technology Licensed

  • University of California, Davis (CA)

A new licensing deal between the University of California, Davis and Q1 NanoSystems has established terms for exclusive licensing of a package of jointly-owned intellectual property stemming from inventions both …

  • Posted Sept. 11, 2017
  • Publications
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Renewable Energy and Jobs - Annual Review 2017

Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2017 presents the status of renewable energy employment, both by technology and in selected countries, over the past year. In this fourth edition, …

  • Posted Sept. 11, 2017
  • Publications
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Assessing the Higher Education Sector’s Use of Renewable Energy

  • University of New Hampshire (NH)

This article explores the extent to which U.S.-based institutions of higher education have engaged in voluntary purchases and production of renewable energy. Understanding these efforts is important in order to …

  • Posted Aug. 28, 2017
  • Publications
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Asian deals for UNSW solar technology

  • UNSW Sydney (NSW)

This press release describes three new technology licensing agreements between and the University of New South Wales and solar cell manufacturers in Asia. The first, a $1.7million licensing agreement with …

  • Posted Aug. 14, 2017
  • Publications
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UNL technology powers Nebraska solar panel startup

  • University of Nebraska - Lincoln (NE)

This press release describes an exclusive licensing agreement between University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Rare Earth Solar, a Nebraska solar panel manufacturer. The technology licensed by the University replaces the typical …

  • Posted Aug. 14, 2017
  • Publications
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Clean Energy Patent Growth Index - 2015 Year in Review

The Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI) tracks the growth of patents in the clean energy sector from 2002 to the present. Among other things, it includes a ranking of …

Key trends in IEA public energy technology research, development and demonstration (RD&D) budgets

This analysis of public funding for energy research, development and demonstration (RD&D) in member countries of the International Energy Agency shows that the share of energy RD&D budgets spent on …

How Are Campuses Harnessing Renewable Energy? New Report Tracks Trends in Higher Ed

  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • AASHE (MA)
  • Edison Energy (CA)

As a whole, campuses are getting more energy efficient. But space growth counter-weighs these gains. Hundreds of campuses have onsite solar. But the arrays are small, and sometimes the SCRECs …

  • Posted July 27, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks: The Effectiveness of Community-Based Social Marketing on Energy Conservation for Sustainable University Campuses

  • Emory University (GA)
  • Kansas State University (KS)

The paper presents a community-based social marketing (CBSM) study that was conducted at Kansas State University (KSU) to determine potential strategies to decrease energy consumption on college campuses. The study …

  • Posted June 22, 2017
  • Publications
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Using indicators to profile energy consumption and to inform energy policy in a university—A case study in Ireland

  • University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork (Co. Cork)

The services sector has the least amount of energy end use data available, which poses significant challenges to companies within the sector attempting to benchmark their energy performance and inform …

  • Posted June 22, 2017
  • Publications
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University campuses energy performance estimation in Ukraine based on measurable approach

Aim of research is an attempt to create the methodology for University campuses (UC) energy certification system for Ukraine. Therefore, taking into account national conditions, the certification variant, based on …

  • Posted June 22, 2017
  • Publications
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Energy Master Plan - St. John's University, New York

  • St. John's University, New York (NY)

St. John's University is preparing to commit to deeper carbon emissions reductions. As a participant in the New York City Carbon Challenge since 2007, SJU will achieve its commitment to …

  • Posted June 22, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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Energy Economics and Policy

  • University of Rhode Island (RI)

This certificate program provides intensive training in energy economics, management, and policy. It is designed to address energy management issues at scales ranging from the individual building, to the microgrid, …

  • Posted June 22, 2017
  • Academic Programs
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Survey of energy consumption and energy conservation measures for colleges and universities in Guangdong province

As an important part of economical society, colleges and universities have been shouldering the important task of education, science research and social service. In this paper, a detailed investigation in …

  • Posted June 20, 2017
  • Publications
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Research on energy savings opportunities in university libraries

Purpose – Mechanical systems in library environments are typically designed to run continuously in order to maintain the desired environmental conditions for preservation purposes, often resulting in a high cost …

  • Posted June 20, 2017
  • Publications
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Potential opportunities for energy conservation in existing buildings on university campus: A field survey in Korea

Buildings in university campuses have been increased energy consumption. This is despite their greater potential for energy reduction due to the low building densities within the campus, as well as …

  • Posted June 20, 2017
  • Publications
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A renewable energy solution for Highfield Campus of University of Southampton

  • University of Southampton

In today's world where the global warming is one of the biggest problems for mankind, sustainable energy generation is becoming more and more important every day. This project focuses on …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
  • Publications
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Energy consumption and GHG emission scenarios of a university campus in Mexico

This study estimates energy consumption and related GHG emissions for the buildings and facilities of the main university campus at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The campus has …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
  • Publications
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Energy consumption analysis of a medium-size primary data center in an academic campus

  • University of Maryland, College Park (MD)

Experimental, numerical, and simulation studies were performed to evaluate the energy efficiency performance, develop energy conservation measures (ECMs), and conduct overall energy analysis of a medium-size data center at the …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
  • Publications
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Energy conservation attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors in science laboratories

  • Michigan State University (MI)

Energy use per square foot from science research labs is disproportionately higher than that of other rooms in buildings on campuses across the nation. This is partly due to labs’ …

  • Posted June 19, 2017
  • Publications
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Analyzing Barriers to Energy Conservation in Residences and Offices: The Rewire Program at the University of Toronto

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
  • Yale University (CT)
  • University of Toronto (ON)

Conducting a barriers analysis is an important first step when designing proenvironmental behavior change interventions. Yet, detailed information on common barriers to energy conservation campaigns remains unavailable. Using a pair …

A persuasive feedback support system for energy conservation and carbon emission reduction in campus residential buildings

There is a need for energy conservation mechanisms, especially in university campuses, as students do not have any direct feedback on their energy consumptions, which leads to excess usages. There …

AASHE Green Power Projects Data Export

  • AASHE (MA)

The Google Sheet includes a list of campus solar and wind power projects collected by AASHE. This includes those projects that were once part of the Solar Renewable and Wind …

Reducing Carbon Emissions in a Third Level Educational Institution in Sub-Sahara Africa

  • Strathmore University

The effort to reduce carbon emissions as the arguably most prevalent cause of global warming has been a positive trend in most African countries. One of the most successful strategies …

University of California, Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Five: The fight to rethink (and reinvent) nuclear power

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

This is the fifth episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the …

  • Posted May 22, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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Tiny House Team

Kauai Community College Tiny House Hydro Electric Micro Grid Project

  • University of Hawaii Kauai Community College (HI)

During the Summer of 2016 a free Tiny House building course was offered free to the community of Kauai. The course ran for five days and focused on building the …

ITC Building, Western Technical College

Building as a Living Laboratory: The Integrated Technology Center

  • Western Technical College (WI)

When you enter an academic building on a college campus, you expect that learning takes place there. Desks and labs, offices and hallways, students and faculty—all are standard. But what …

Welding Hydroelectric Raceway

Modern Sustainability

  • University of Hawaii Kauai Community College (HI)

RECENT PROJECTS:

  • Beach Cleanup Caddy (complete - STEM grant award pending - awaiting field testing) - Assembled a cart system specifically designed for beach cleanups, outfitted with a detachable metal …

Novel Solution to University's Pool and Shower Heating

  • University of South Florida (Tampa) (FL)

The plan is to install a localized, state of the art heating system for Campus Recreation’s pool and shower systems. The project would involve disconnecting the central boiler heating system …

Poster used to promote SUN Delegation outreach event.

Students Spark Solar

  • University of Minnesota, Duluth (MN)

A group of ten students focused in various areas of study from across the University of Minnesota Duluth campus came together to form the Solar University Network Delegation and advance …

A map designating which areas on campus will undergo lighting or mechanical upgrades, or retro-commissioning through the Utility Reduction Program

Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions at the University of Calgary

  • University of Calgary (AB)

At University of Calgary, our buildings are very large contributors to our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With the goal of being a leading Canadian post-secondary institution in the area of …

Using classroom schedule data to reduce energy consumption

  • Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)

Most Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems (HVAC) are designed to provide a ventilation based on the assumption that the rooms are fully occupied, when real occupancy is most often …

Designing a Photovoltaic Array for Smith College

  • Smith College (MA)

The development of distributed solar energy is an opportunity for individuals and institutions to support the growth of the clean energy economy, lower their carbon footprint, promote energy security, and …

Reducing the Nitrogen Footprint of a Small Residential College

  • Dickinson College (PA)

The release of reactive nitrogen contributes to its accumulation in the environment, causing a variety of harmful effects. To measure Dickinson College’s contribution to nitrogen pollution, and quantify the potential …

Adding a Nitrogen Footprint to Colorado State University’s Sustainability Plan

  • Colorado State University (CO)

As a large land grant university with more than 32,000 students, Colorado State University (CSU) has both on-campus non-agricultural and agricultural sources of nitrogen (N) released to the environment. The …

Comparing Institution Nitrogen Footprints: Metrics for Assessing and Tracking Environmental Impact

  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • University of Virginia (VA)
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)

When multiple institutions with strong sustainability initiatives use a new environmental impact assessment tool, there is an impulse to compare. The first seven institutions to calculate nitrogen footprints using the …

Assessing the Social and Environmental Costs of Institution Nitrogen Footprints

  • University of New Hampshire (NH)
  • University of Virginia (VA)

This article estimates the damage costs associated with the institutional nitrogen (N) footprint and explores how this information could be used to create more sustainable institutions. Potential damages associated with …

Environmental and Economic Perspectives in the Analysis of Two Options for Hand Drying At an University Campus

Environmental criteria can be part of global energy policies for the establishment of support and development actions for different technologies. Minimization of greenhouse gas emissions is a benefit to all …

First Responder Training for Photovoltaic Fires

Solar Garden Partnership: A Renewable Energy Innovation

  • Grand Valley State University (MI)
  • Consumers Energy

Grand Valley State University (GVSU) began a renewable energy project in partnership with its local utility, Consumers Energy, after the Michigan Public Service Commission approved a Solar Garden program. This …

Reduce the Juice – Saving Energy in Halls of Residence

  • AASHE (MA)
  • University of London

At the University of London, in England, we have launched a behaviour change programme aimed at students living on campus in the University’s halls of residence. The aim of the …

  • Posted May 18, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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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

OP 6: Clean and Renewable Energy

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

Energy Partners

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