emissions planning efficiency standards supply
While the University has pursued aggressive demand-side energy management for years, continued campus expansion calls for even greater attention to reducing demand and increasing energy efficiency. Reducing energy use is a formidable task given the growing energy needs of research universities. Stanford has a strong foundation for success based on a decades-long commitment to energy conservation and efficiency, as well as the advantages of a temperate climate and strong state energy codes.
Current energy-saving strategies will decrease consumption in existing buildings but campus growth is likely to outpace those savings. For example, total energy use increased 13% from 2000 to 2007, due to new construction, energy-intensive research, and more people and electrical equipment. Energy intensity (energy use per square foot) increased as well. Building on Stanford’s substantial successes and culture of innovation and leadership, demand-side energy management will continue to be a critical driver in reducing campus emissions.
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Existing Energy Conservation Initiatives
Existing Energy Conservation Initiatives
Behavior Based Conservation Programs
Behavior Based Conservation Programs
The Office of Sustainability, in collaboration with the Woods Institute, various units in Sustainability and Energy Management, and Zones Management, launched the Building Level Sustainability Program (BLSP) as a platform for Stanford's Schools and Departments to educate occupants and implement sustainability practices at the building level. The program harnesses individual, action-based resource conservation to achieve consumption reductions that complement efficiency improvement at the infrastructure level and jointly accomplish carbon footprint reduction goals. BLSP serves as a sustainability communication, education, and implementation tool that addresses the triple bottom line of sustainability – environment, economy, and social engagement.
Pilot projects completed in 14 buildings showed a sustained reduction in electricity consumption between 3% and 20% with an average simple payback period of less than 11 months. At present there are 10 additional buildings with implementation underway, and 91 buildings have been identified as future program candidates.
Sustainable Information Technology Initiatives
Sustainable Information Technology Initiatives
New Energy Conservation Initiatives
New Energy Conservation Initiatives
Current energy-saving strategies are expected to push energy consumption down through 2011, but by 2012 additional use from new buildings could possibly require additional conservation efforts. The following new efforts are calculated into the Energy and Climate Plan:
Room Temperature Biological Sample Storage
Stanford recently completed a pilot project to evaluate a novel technology that promises to reduce energy consumption, achieve sustainability goals, and optimize laboratory space. Using a proprietary stabilization technology, biological samples that are typically stored frozen can be stored at room temperature. Laboratories can reduce dependency on costly freezers and reduce both energy consumption and their carbon footprint. The pilot was designed to assess the current economic and environmental impact of freezer-based storage, provide “hands-on” experience with this new technology, and extrapolate the potential benefit of room temperature biological sample storage to the entire campus. Based on the spring 2009 pilot results, the Department of Sustainability and Energy Management partnered with the School of Medicine to develop and offer a rebate program to incentivize early freezer retirement and adoption of room temperature storage technology.
Initial implementation, results, and the programmatic goals for the next funding cycle can be summarized as follows:
- The Department of Sustainability and Energy Management and the School of Medicine launched a “cash for clunkers” rebate program in fall 2009 to encourage replacement of ultra-low-temperature (-80º) freezers
- Cash incentives were provided for the following actions:
- Freezer retirement without replacement
- Freezer retirement with an energy-efficient replacement and/or room temperature storage conversions
- Placing new samples directly into room temperature storage
- Educational symposium held in March 2010 showcased pilot project success with room temperature storage and increased publicity and awareness
- Program participation in FY10 exceeded expectations with freezer retirement, but did not meet adoption goals for room temperature storage
- The FY11 program will be reshaped to address identified barriers:
- 1st costs of room temperature storage technology
- Labor costs for room temperature storage conversion
- Refocused educational campaign will promote room temperature storage as industry leaders work to develop technology to store proteins, complex samples, assays, and cells
High Efficiency Transformers
Low-voltage transformers are used to convert the power delivered at the building entrance to the power supplied at the electrical outlets. Transformers lose power in the conversion process. Increasing the efficiency of this conversion can have a substantial impact on total building electrical consumption because transformers operate continuously whether outlets are used or not. Furthermore, because transformers emit wasted electricity as heat, inefficient transformers place a higher burden on a building’s cooling system. Stanford recently entered a partnership with a vendor that will lead to extensive use of higher efficiency E-Saver-3 transformers for new construction and building renovations. The transformers meet the Department of Energy’s CSL-3 standard, which offers the optimal life-cycle balance between improved efficiency and additional cost. If only 75 standard low-voltage transformers are upgraded to the CSL-3 standard, the electrical savings per year would be approximately 450,000 kWh.
