Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.39
Liaison Ciara Tennis
Submission Date Dec. 31, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Eastern Connecticut State University
OP-6: Clean and Renewable Energy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.04 / 4.00 Renee Theroux-Keech
Interim Director
Office of Facilities Management & Planning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total energy consumption (all sources, excluding transportation fuels), performance year :
161,614.64 MMBtu

Total clean and renewable electricity generated on site during the performance year and for which the institution retains or has retired the associated environmental attributes:
0 MMBtu

A brief description of on-site renewable electricity generating devices :

The High Rise dormitory is the largest geothermal project in Connecticut. With three 800-foot wells, the project was completed in Fall 2001. Prior to the project, the building was not air conditioned, and had an average annual electrical bill of $82,000 which included heating and electricity. After the geothermal heat pump system became operational, the average annual bill was $72,000 for electricity, heating AND cooling. We do not track energy produced by the geothermal, we only track it in gallons of water. That is why we left the above MMBtu request blank.

http://nsdi.epa.gov/region1/assistance/univ/pdfs/bmps/ECSUGeotherma1-8-07l.pdf

Solar energy: Solar is used on campus parking lot lighting, and Burnap and Crandall residence halls. The bus shelters also have solar lighting. These are all off the grid so that they can still operate in emergency situations. We have no number for the energy these produce.


Non-electric renewable energy generated on-site, performance year:
0 MMBtu

A brief description of on-site renewable non-electric energy devices:

The geothermal system for our High Rise dorm generates heating and cooling. As stated above, we do not track the energy produced by the geothermal, we only track it in gallons of water. That is why we left the above MMBtu request blank.


Total clean and renewable electricity generated by off-site projects that the institution catalyzed and for which the institution retains or has retired the associated environmental attributes, performance year:
0 MMBtu

A brief description of off-site, institution-catalyzed, renewable electricity generating devices:
---

Total third-party certified RECs, GOs and/or similar renewable energy products (including renewable electricity purchased through a utility-provided certified green power option) purchased during the performance year:
1,487.51 MMBtu

A brief description of the RECs, GOs and/or similar renewable energy products, including contract timeframes:

For the performance year of 7/1/2017 - 6/30/2018, of the total 63923.67 MMBtu grid-purchased electricity, only the period of 5/1 - 6/30/2018 at 1487.51 MMBtu fall under our current green electricity contract.

For the period of 5/1/2018 - 4/30/2022, ENGIE Resources LLC is supplying Eastern with 100% Green electricity in compliance with the terms of our contract through the Connecticut State College and Universities (CSCU) system. In the contract, CSCU sought products above the state's Required Annual Renewable Energy Percentages, and would only accept Class I equivalent renewable energy sources, as defined per Connecticut's RPS.

Per the contract language, CSCU required "pricing products with 0% green above RPS, 50% green above RPS, and 100% green (roughly 75% above RPS). For this additional green percentage, CSCU would only accept Class I equivalent renewable energy sources, however the renewable energy may be sourced outside of Connecticut."

The Connecticut Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is a state policy that requires electric providers to obtain a specified percentage or amount of the energy they generate or sell from renewable sources.
Class I renewable energy source, as defined in §16-1(a)(20) of the General Statutes of Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat.), means electricity derived from: solar power; wind power; a fuel cell; geothermal; etc. (see more accepted Class I renewable energy sources: https://www.ct.gov/pura/cwp/view.asp?a=3354&q=415186)

The contractor clarified that some years' total green percentages will be slightly above 100%, and supplied the following tables to illustrate additional green percentages by year and by term. They noted that the cumulative percentage for May 2018 - Dec 2018 will be less than 100%; however, the entire term of May 2018 - 2022 would equal 100%.

Table A: Additional RECs by year
Start End CT RPS Add'l RECS Cumulative Green 100%
May-18 Dec-18 25% 15% 100%
Jan-19 Dec-19 27.5% 73% 100%
Jan-20 Dec-20 28.0% 72% 100%
Jan-21 Dec-21 28.0% 72% 100%
Jan-22 May-22 28.0% 72% 100%

Table B: Additional RECs by Term
Start End CT RPS Additional RECS Cumulative Green 100%
May-18 May-20 26.8% 73.2% 100.0%
May-18 May-21 27.2% 72.8% 100.0%
May-18 May-22 27.4% 72.6% 100.0%


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Electricity use, by source (percentage of total, 0-100):
Percentage of total electricity use (0-100)
Biomass 0
Coal 0
Geothermal 0
Hydro 0
Natural gas 17.50
Nuclear 0
Solar photovoltaic 0
Wind 0
Other (please specify and explain below) 0

A brief description of other sources of electricity not specified above:

Our fuel cell converts natural gas into electricity. It produced 3,283,470.00 kwh out of our total electricity consumption of 18,734,956.00 kwh in FY2018.


Energy used for heating buildings, by source::
Percentage of total energy used to heat buildings (0-100)
Biomass 0
Coal 0
Electricity 5.21
Fuel oil 100
Geothermal 2.70
Natural gas 77.89
Other (please specify and explain below) ---

A brief description of other sources of building heating not specified above:

Electricity is used to heat our Low Rise apartments. Natural gas provides most other heat, minus the amount used by the fuel cell to create electricity. Fuel oil is used exclusively to support the natural gas during winter's heavier heating months.


Percentage of total energy consumption from clean and renewable sources:
0.92

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

This information was input by ISE staff and Renee Theroux-Keech.


This information was input by ISE staff and Renee Theroux-Keech.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.