Green Mountain College
OP-6: Clean and Renewable Energy

The College retains the renewable attributes of two solar projects on campus: a 5.8 kW solar charging station and a 3.6 kW roof-top array on the Olwen Solar Garage. Production from both of these smaller facilities is counted in option one above. In 2013, a 156 kW solar array was installed on the south side of campus to help build the solar capacity of the region and to serve as an educational facility for students entering the renewable energy field. The College does not yet retain the RECs for this project, so it is not counted under option one above. The College also owns a 150 kW steam turbine that is connected to the central biomass plant. The turbine can produce electricity using high pressure steam created by the boiler. On cold days when demand for steam to heat buildings is high, high-pressure steam can run through the turbine to create electricity with a generator. The generator was taken off line in FY 2014 to enable the plant to run at a much lower setting and still meet all of the heat demand on central campus. The generator is most efficiently run when the plant is operating on a higher setting. The sustainability office estimates that approximately 28% can be saved in the purchase of wood chips by operating the plant at a low setting, while still meeting all of the heat demand on central campus.

Steam production for heat and hot water on central campus is produced by a combined heat and power (CHP) biomass plant, powered by locally-sourced woodchips, two thirds of which are harvested within 50 miles of the College. The chips are baked to release pyrolysis gas, which is burned to create steam. During winter the plant produces between 93% and 95% of the heat and hot water consumed college-wide.

In 2014, the College finalized a partnership with an investor and solar installer to build a 150 kW system on their land in Benson, VT in order to provide the College with clean, solar electricity. GMC agreed to purchase all of the electricity produced and retain the renewable energy credits.

Green Mountain College participates in Green Mountain Power's Cow Power Program, paying a four cent premium for 50% of electricity consumed on its seven accounts located on the edge of the main campus or off campus, including Griswold Library, Feick Art Center, Richardson Alumni House, the President's House, the Two Editor's Inn, the soccer field, and the barn at the farm. Cow Power uses the premium to support methane digesters on dairy farms in Vermont for the production of electricity using cow manure. Cow Power Renewable Energy Certificates are certified by the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL) GIS system, and ALL Cow Power purchased by GMP customers are certified and retired.

Other includes Green Mountain College's participation in Green Mountain Power's Cow Power program. This renewable energy source comprises 0.71% of our electricity mix. To produce Cow Power, farmers feed cow manure into an on-site anaerobic digester. Naturally occurring microbes in the digester convert the waste into several useful byproducts, one of which is methane gas. The methane fuels an engine which drives an electric generator. Additional sources of electricity totaling 3.65% from the New England Grid, including the following: oil, refuse, landfill gas, and methane. For details on exactly what these sources entail visit: http://www.iso-ne.com/isoexpress/web/reports/operations/-/tree/daily-gen-fuel-type

Performance year is FY 2017(July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017). Please note that in FY 2017, Green Mountain College was participating in the Cow Power program in seven accounts as described above in the section on RECs.