2008 Woodie Awards
ECO-MIND
UVM's electricity and the environment
Laura Miller
Issue date: 4/25/06 Section: Columns
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UVM's campus requires electricity for virtually all of its functions; how does this energy use impact the Provost Office's goal of becoming the 'nation's premiere environmental university?' UVM used about 52 million kilowatt hours of electricity in 2000. About 16 percent of this electricity was used by the residence halls, while 33 percent was used by laboratories and the rest of campus used 53 percent.
The major environmental impact of electricity use is the emission of greenhouse gases, and the amount of emissions released depends on how the electricity is generated. UVM purchases its electricity from Burlington Electric Department, which utilizes a variety of sources of generation.
The UVM Energy Management Office develops energy efficiency programs to decrease electricity use on campus. While Burlington Electric and the Energy Management Office are commendable for their environmental efforts, UVM as a whole does not have a clear target for its energy use, which is continuously increasing. Are UVM's current energy conservation efforts enough to support the claim of 'environmental university?'
Burlington Electric Department (BED) does a great job of providing UVM and the greater Burlington community with electricity from a variety of renewable sources. In 2005, renewable sources provided 46 percent of BED's electricity. These renewable sources include the McNeil wood-fired plant, hydro-power, and a small amount of wind power. Also, no coal or nuclear power is purchased directly by BED.
The remainder of BED's power is generated largely using natural gas. Having a source for electricity that uses a large percentage of renewable sources is good for UVM's ecological footprint; a electricity generated with natural gas has fewer greenhouse emissions than electricity generated by, for example, burning coal. BED, as well as providing UVM with electricity from renewable energy sources, creates incentives for efficient energy use through rebates and technical assistance.
The major environmental impact of electricity use is the emission of greenhouse gases, and the amount of emissions released depends on how the electricity is generated. UVM purchases its electricity from Burlington Electric Department, which utilizes a variety of sources of generation.
The UVM Energy Management Office develops energy efficiency programs to decrease electricity use on campus. While Burlington Electric and the Energy Management Office are commendable for their environmental efforts, UVM as a whole does not have a clear target for its energy use, which is continuously increasing. Are UVM's current energy conservation efforts enough to support the claim of 'environmental university?'
Burlington Electric Department (BED) does a great job of providing UVM and the greater Burlington community with electricity from a variety of renewable sources. In 2005, renewable sources provided 46 percent of BED's electricity. These renewable sources include the McNeil wood-fired plant, hydro-power, and a small amount of wind power. Also, no coal or nuclear power is purchased directly by BED.
The remainder of BED's power is generated largely using natural gas. Having a source for electricity that uses a large percentage of renewable sources is good for UVM's ecological footprint; a electricity generated with natural gas has fewer greenhouse emissions than electricity generated by, for example, burning coal. BED, as well as providing UVM with electricity from renewable energy sources, creates incentives for efficient energy use through rebates and technical assistance.
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