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  9. 05/03/24 Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Grind2Energy

    Hi Daphne,

     

    Have you had any discussion with Housing dining about piloting composting in their catering operations?

     

    I believe we could encourage them to lead a pilot for that.

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan 

     

    ==================

     

    Hi Morgan,

     

    I just spoke with Thurman today during our final iCAP ZW team meeting, and he has informed me that Dining will be moving their catering operations from Housing Food Stores to Florida Avenue Residence Hall while HFS undergoes construction. For that year, they will use FAR’s existing Grind2Energy. When they move Catering back to HFS, they intend to have a sixth Grind2Energy installed there and ready to use.

     

    Thank you,

    Daphne

  14. ECE Net Zero Celebration

    Associated Project(s): 
    ECE Net-Zero Energy Building
    ECE LED Lighting
    ECE Rooftop Solar PVs
    Electrical and Computer Engineering Building: LEED Platinum

    https://ece.illinois.edu/about/calendar/eceb-anniversary 

    The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Building at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was certified as the university’s first zero-energy facility in January 2023. Join the ECE Department and The Grainger College of Engineering to celebrate this milestone on the path to building a more sustainable future. 


    When: Wednesday January 24, 2024 from 4 p.m.
    Where: Electrical & Computer Engineering Building Atrium, 306 N. Wright St, Urbana, IL 61801

     

  15. iSEE newsletter - biomass boiler

    Associated Project(s): 
    Biomass Boiler at the Energy Farm

     

     

    Warm for the Winter: How the Energy Farm's Biomass Boiler helps fuel research during the cold months

     

    		  

    Sustainability in Action: Biomass Boiler


    The 5-year-old biomass boiler at the Illinois Energy Farm is truly a sustainable option. Miscanthus from the fields is dried and used to fuel the boiler, which heats a large greenhouse growing new plants. The ashes are applied back onto Energy Farm fields to create a carbon sink, adding to the closed loop. In our new video, you can see how it works and hear Energy Farm Director of Operations Tim Mies describe the system!

     

  16. Green Power Partnership’s 2022 Year in Review

    Associated Project(s): 
    EPA Green Power Partner

     

    The EPA GPP has realeased a 2022 year in review graphic and data. Please see the attached graphic.

    • EPA Partners reported more than 3,000 green power purchases and projects, up 13 percent over the previous year.
    • EPA Partners increasingly engaged directly with new projects through project-specific supply options like PPAs, surpassing retail supply options for the first time in program history.
    • Nearly half of all 687 EPA Partners procured enough green power to meet 100 percent of their total annual domestic electricity demand.
    Attached Files: 

  19. IACT - Energy for Service and Source Well Procurement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Procurement
    Use Clean Power

    Good morning, Mike!

     

    Great to hear from you.  Absolutely can provide you with some additional information on both of those procurement pathways:

     

    1. Sourcewell:

     

     

    The University is a member of a purchasing co-op which provides pre-negotiated pricing for a variety of solutions – including microgrids – which enables them to purchase directly through Sourcewell without needing to go out to bid.  Please see attached for an example of the Siemens Sourcewell contract offerings and below for the University’s member information:

     

    1. Energy as a Service:

     

    Siemens could design, develop, own, implement and maintain a turn key energy system allowing the University to avoid capital investment and simply pay a “subscription cost” if you will for all their energy needs for I-ACT.  This would also enable them to stay up to date on new technologies as they come on line.  Please see attached “4-Steps for Integrating EaaS” for additional information.

     

    Again, we would be very happy to get on a call to walk through how to customize either of these offerings to meet their needs in cooperation with the work they are doing with AECOM.

     

    Could be a really exciting collaboration!

     

    I warmly welcome your thoughts.

     

    Thank you and

     

    All the best!

    -----------------------------

    Kevin,

     

    Here is the info I received from Siemend for your review.


    Thanks

     

    Mike

    -------------------------------

     

    Hello,

     

    Regarding the ongoing discussion of the electrical microgrid design (including PV panels on site) for U20029:IACT the PSC has wondered if UIUC has ever participated in either of this type of programs for procuring such systems by what appears a more design/build method?

     

    Kevin

    ------------------------------

     

    Good Afternoon Aaron and Graham,

     

    Can you advise if the attached Sourcewell Contract is one that we can utilize, if not, is there an IPHEC contract that would provide this type service? I tried to research the existing IPHEC vendors.

     

    Thank You

     

     

    MARIA THOMPSON

    -----------------------

     

    Hi, Maria

     

    The awarded contracts on the flyer all appear to be expired per the Sourcewell website.

     

    #031517-SIE for building technologies

    #051017-SIE for EV supplies and equipment

    #030817-SIE includes HVAC systems and mechanical

     

    Which contract were you interested in using? We may have something already.

     

    Also, IPHEC must adopt a consortia award first before a member can leverage it.

     

    Thank you

    ------------------------

    Graham,

     

    I am not really sure. Morgan or Kevin can you advise on Graham’s question?

     

    Thank You

    --------------------

    Hello Graham,

     

    I’m the F&S-CP Project Manager for the U20029: IACT track and fleet building project.  This is an automated and connected track for testing autonomous vehicles and anticipates having renewable energy production from wind turbines and PV panels on the large track site.

     

    The question which launched this email chain was received from the track designers who became aware of the existence to programs such as Sourcewell when discussing the PV design with potential sub designers for that portion of the track design.  I’m afraid I am not familiar enough with the three projects to know for sure but from the thumbnail descriptions perhaps the first one might be most similar to what is involved here, although this project would involve a large system covering both site elements producing renewable energy and only one building.  Their questions were really if the UIUC had interacted with Sourcewell in the past, and if Sourcewell might be an avenue to explore further as part of their design work.

     

    Would it be acceptable to share your contact information with the designers so that they could determine if your program could help provide some of the elements required for the IACT track and fleet building?

     

    Thank you,

     

    Kevin

  20. geothermal and UIC soil borings

    Associated Project(s): 
    Geothermal on Campus
    Illinois Geothermal Coalition

    Hi Andy and Fernando,

     

    One of our key research partners for the Illinois Geothermal Coalition is Andy Stumpf (copied here).  He has asked if there are soil borings info for the Chicago campus.  Can you connect him with the right person?

     

    “Hi Morgan, Do you have a contact at UIC who would have access to their geotech and soil boring records.. person similar to Beth. I have been asked to help out with the Solar Decathlon project because they are interested in adding geothermal to the design. They plan to design an educational design and innovation center that is on the UIC campus and would occupy the two parking lots at 1198 W Vernon Park PI Parking, Chicago, IL 60607. Soil boring/geotech information for nearby buildings could help the design. I am also mapping Cook County, so this information would also be useful for that project. Would also be interested to know if there are any major water lines in along Harrison Street or I-290. Maybe an opportunity to include wastewater heat recovery.”

     

    Thanks!

    Morgan

    --------------------------------

    Hi Morgan,

     

    Thanks for the introduction. Nice to meet you Fernando. I am going to find out from the students who they are working with at UIC.

     

    Best,

    Andy

    --------------------------

     

    Thanks, it may be Fernando (He is out of the office).

    I can pull files related to the 2009 Geothermal wells, but it might help to have a specific question to circulate. IS this accurate: Does UIC have any records of Soil boring/geotech information from past geothermal well drilling?

    Regarding water lines – best to assume every where on campus has some utilities under it.  There is likely water on Harrison and Racine,

     

    Andy Mitchell 

    -----------------------------

    Hi Andy,

     

    Thanks for getting back to me. Actually, it would be possible to get access to or copies of the soil borings for all projects on UIC campus, not just the geothermal projects. The Illinois State Geological Survey maintains a database of geological, engineering geology, and geophysical information for the entire state. Here is snapshot for part of the UIC campus with engineering test hole delineated by the red dots and labeled by the total depth of the drilling. The data can be accessed through the ISGS’ ILWATER map service https://go.illinois.edu/ilwater. Currently, only the owner, location, and soil boring logs are available for most of the engineering borings, but we plan in the near future to provide access to the engineering geology data entered from the reports and if allowed by the owner/client a pdf of the scanned documents. The boring locations were digitized from the maps included in the reports or coordinates surveyed and provided with the logs. As Morgan knows, I am working with Facilities & Services here to digitize all the soil borings on our campus and provide them through the ILWATER map service. This effort is being funded as a student project that received a grant from the UIUC Student Sustainability Committee. If you are interested in having the UIC data served in a similar manner, let’s talk some more about how this is being done at UIUC. For much of the data the ISGS on the UIC campus came from research survey geologists or UIUC CEE faculty were involved with on the campus and from consultants involved in the project. Beyond the Illinois Solar Decathlon design project, this data is being compiled for the ISGS project to map the surface and subsurface geology of Cook and DuPage counties. This mapping is being done to update work that was done in the 1940s or early. The data is used to develop the maps and models of the geology which we make available to the public. Below is one of the cross sections we made this year for west to east cross section along Roosevelt Road. We plan by 2028 to have a 3D model of the geology available for Cook County. The mapping project is being funded by the U.S. Geological Survey.

     

    Best.

    Andy

    ---------------------------

     

    Andy – this is exciting stuff and I’m confident we can share the records, once we locate them.

    I’m out of the office most of next week, and Fernando is just back and will playing catch up.

    When do you need this info by?

     

    Andy Mitchell 

    ----------------------------

    Hi Andy and Fernando,

     

    Getting back to you about the geotech soil borings. I have shared with you the Box folder with the logs found so far. The logs in the files starting with “x” have been plotted and the information is available through the ISGS borings database https://go.illinois.edu/ilwater. The logs in the files starting with “g” have not been entered yet.

     

    Best,

    Andy

    ------------------------

     

    Thanks for the nudge Andy.

    I’ll connect with our manager Dave Taeyaerts about the best way to go about getting this.

    When do you need the info by?

     

    Andy Mitchell 

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