The Energy Transition Plan’s central goal is for campus to have a renewable energy portfolio of 15 percent by 2015, and MSU officials say they’re more than halfway there.
Another goal was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent, and emissions have been reduced by 17 percent, said Director of Campus Sustainability Jennifer Battle.
The current renewable energy portfolio is eight percent — also past the halfway mark.
The plan was approved by the Board of Trustees in April 2012.
“We’re where we should be, and we’re making significant progress,” Battle said. “There are lots of ongoing projects, everything from conservation to investigating additional sources of renewable energy.”
Investigations include looking at how the costs of alternative power sources could affect student tuition, according to Infrastructure Planning and Facilities Managing Environmental Engineer Lynda Boomer.
“What if we invested in solar? What would be the cost of utilities? What would the backup power need to be? What do we use at night? All of those are things we looked at in different scenarios, (with consideration for) how that changes campus and tuition costs,” Boomer said in the 2013 Campus Sustainability report.
A big factor in reducing greenhouse gas has been switching fuels at the MSU Power Plant, Battle said.
“A few years ago, most of (the)fuel used at the power plant was coal,” Battle said. “At this point it’s now powered by 67 percent natural gas, 32 percent coal and 1 percent biofuel.”
Other energy changes made so far include the south campus anaerobic digester, solar energy research and wind analysis.
“There’s a meteorological tower that measures wind speed to confirm if wind power is available around campus,” Battle said. “We also have to conduct environmental analysis like bird and bat studies to make sure their habitats would be unaffected.”
Another part of the plan involves making sustainable improvements in campus buildings. Such tune-ups include light sensors to shut off lights when they aren’t needed and low-flow water conservation fixtures in residence hall showers, Residential and Hospitality Services Sustainability Officer Carla Iansiti said.
“When it comes to remodeling some dining halls and buildings, moving forward we’re looking at more conservation practices and equipment as we can afford them,” Iansiti said.
The most recent campus building undergoing these changes was the Vista at Shaw, Iansiti said. Changes included more efficient lighting, and heating and air conditioning systems.
Akers and Yakeley halls will be the next buildings under construction as they upgrade dining services.
“We go through (campus) and do building assessments to see where the needs are and to see if we can fiscally make sustainable upgrades,” Iansiti said.
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