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Project Updates for collection: Renewable Energy Projects

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  1. Niharika Kishore is working on developing a rooftop solar RFP for design

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rooftop Solar Potential
    Independent Student Projects

    Today, Morgan Johnston met with Niharika Kishore to discuss the rooftop solar iCAP objective.  Niharika is going to review the work already done, in the iSEE solar box folder, and draft a proposal for getting the engineering design work done for a set of building.  She will be working towards meeting the FY20 on campus generation goal of 12,500 MWh/year, and possibly additional installations for FY25.

  3. Art and Design Building solar design

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rooftop Solar Potential
    Independent Student Projects

    A group of seniors completed the attached report for the Art and Design Building, for rooftop solar.  They recommended a flexible solar material, with micro-inverters.  The Art and Design department is interested in working with a student in the fall to seek funding for the rooftop solar from the Student Sustainability Committee.

    Attached Files: 

  7. Archived - previous project description

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 1.0

    Construction of a 5.87 megawatt (MW) Solar Farm on campus is under construction, after university and state officials approved power purchase and land lease agreements with Phoenix Solar South Farms, LLC.

    Once installed, the Solar Farm will be one of the largest on-site university arrays in the country, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency statistics, producing 7.86 million kilowatt-hours per year, or approximately two percent of the electrical demand for the Urbana campus in fiscal year 2015.

    Facilities & Services Executive Director Al Stratman said, “We are very pleased to see this long awaited agreement completed and signed, so the installation can begin. This unique and challenging project was only made possible through the dedication of many people working together and focused on achieving our renewable energy goals.”

    In 2008, the chancellor signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, pledging to be carbon neutral by 2050. As a part of this commitment, specific goals for energy conservation and renewable energy were outlined in the 2010 Illinois Climate Action Plan. The Solar Farm will contribute toward the renewable energy used on campus for at least twenty years.

    "The Solar Farm represents the success of numerous efforts, including those made by the many hard-working students committed to advancing renewable energy and environmental sustainability,” said Amy Liu, chair of the Student Sustainability Committee. “Its construction will be a historic project and a source of great pride for campus."

    --

    The 20.8 acre solar farm, to be located along the south side of Windsor Road between First Street and the railroad tracks, was first approved by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees in November 2012.

  12. EGen003 PPA term recommendation - Assessment with all comments

    Associated Project(s): 
    Clean Power Agreements Off-Campus
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    eGen Recommendations Summary

    The iCAP Working Group (iWG) met on March 30th, 2016, to discuss the recommendation EGen003 PPA Term and started the assessment. iWG's official recommendation was:

    "We understand that the University is currently advocating for state legislative relief from a number of procurement-related restrictions, and we recommend that the University include in this effort a request to eliminate the 10-year limit on Power Purchase Agreements. If successful, this would allow (but not require) our campus and Prairieland Energy, Inc. to enter into long-term Power Purchase Agreements for renewable energy (including electricity and other renewable fuels) which may offer more favorable terms, perhaps even being less expensive than traditional energy options."

    See the attached file for the complete assessment of this recommendation with comments from all the iWG members.

    See SWATeam recommendation EGen003 PPA Term here.

    Attached Files: 

  13. iWG meeting agenda March 30, 2016

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    2015 Illinois Climate Action Plan (2015 iCAP) [ARCHIVED]
    Illini Lights Out
    Wind Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
    Topical iCAP Teams
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    Energy Generation, Purchasing, & Distribution (eGen) SWATeam
    Agriculture, Land Use, Food, and Sequestration (ALUFS) SWATeam
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam

    see file

    Attached Files: 

  14. iWG meeting meeting March 30, 2016

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Topical iCAP Teams
    2015 Illinois Climate Action Plan (2015 iCAP) [ARCHIVED]
    Illini Lights Out
    Wind Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    Energy Generation, Purchasing, & Distribution (eGen) SWATeam
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Agriculture, Land Use, Food, and Sequestration (ALUFS) SWATeam

    see file

    Attached Files: 

  16. Electrification Study discussion with F&S

    Associated Project(s): 
    Explore Options for 100 Percent Clean Campus Energy

    Ben McCall, Morgan Johnston, Scott Willenbrock, and Mike Larson met with Ted Christy and Jim Sims to discuss the process for an Electrification Study.  Ted provided the attached document that needs to be completed in order to move forward.  Additionally, Ted indicated that attachment a is the most pertinent.  He said, "This statement would tell us what, from your perspective you hope to receive at the end of this study for it to be considered successful. It doesn’t need to get into detail. A paragraph or two in your own words to provide general description is very helpful. On the other hand, don’t feel like you need to limit this item, many departments submit a several page document. This information is used by the Planner to develop a scope statement that you will need to sign off on before we seek project approval."

    Attached Files: 

  17. BTUs and Costs of biomass vs Propane

    Associated Project(s): 
    Biomass use on Campus
    1. Propane contains 91,333 BTU’s per gallon @ current price of $0.7858 per gallon = $8.60 / MBTU
    2. Miscanthus contains 14MBTU’s per ton @ proposed price of $50/ton = $3.57/MBTU

    Propane is 2.4 times more expensive to burn to achieve the same amount of thermal energy.

    ~Mike Marquissee, F&S Utilites and Energy Services

  18. Archived - previuos project description

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Clean Power

    Renewable energy is energy generated from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides, waves and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished.  Carbon mitigation efforts need to introduce substantial amounts of clean, renewable energy.  Possibilities include wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, as well as off-campus renewables.  Investing in renewable energy research and technology can contribute to a reduction in emissions on our campus so that we can meet our future goals.  The U of I will satisfy at least 5 percent of all its electrical energy needs through renewable energy generation systems by 2015, and add more renewable energy sources during the future.

  19. Archived info - previous project background

    Associated Project(s): 
    Use Clean Power

    Renewable energy can supply a considerable amount our energy needs. It also creates many public benefits, including environmental improvement, increased fuel diversity and economic development benefits. Renewable energy produces no anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and reduces some types of air pollution. It also reduces dependence on imported fuels, which increases our national security. Renewable Energy is a secure, local and inexhaustible resource that can also result in lower fuel bills and heating system-running costs.

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