| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.28 |
| Liaison | Chris Frantsvog |
| Submission Date | Feb. 25, 2022 |
Luther College
OP-6: Clean and Renewable Energy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.89 / 4.00 |
Jay
Uthoff Director of Facilities Facilities Management |
Total energy consumption, performance year:
Clean and renewable electricity (report kilowatt-hours):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity from certified/verified clean and renewable sources (i.e., bundled green power purchases) | 0 Kilowatt-hours | 0 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, clean and renewable sources (rights retained/retired) | 4,437,748 Kilowatt-hours | 15,141.60 MMBtu |
A brief description of the certified/verified sources of clean and renewable electricity:
Luther does not purchase from Alliant Energy green certified power at this time.
A brief description of the on-site renewable electricity generating facilities/devices:
We own a 280 KW array that provides electricity to our Baker Village housing project. We also have third party purchase agreements for 1,770 kw of solar that is behind our meter.
Clean and renewable thermal energy (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Clean and renewable stationary fuels used on-site to generate thermal energy | 0 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water from certified/verified clean and renewable sources | 0 MMBtu |
A brief description of the clean and renewable stationary fuels:
A brief description of the certified/verified sources of clean and renewable thermal energy:
Unbundled renewable energy products (report kWh):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Purchased RECs, GOs, I-RECs or equivalent unbundled renewable energy products certified by a third party | 4,776,660 Kilowatt-hours | 16,297.96 MMBtu |
A brief description of the unbundled renewable energy products:
We purchase the attributes from a local single turbine project owned by Windvision, LLC, along with the production of a GE turbine owned by the college.
Total clean and renewable energy generated or purchased:
Percentage of total energy consumption from clean and renewable sources:
Website URL where information about the institution’s support for clean and renewable energy is available:
Electricity use, by source (percentage of total, 0-100):
| Percentage of total electricity use (0-100) | |
| Biomass | 0 |
| Coal | 18.27 |
| Geothermal | 0 |
| Hydro | 0.12 |
| Natural gas | 30.38 |
| Nuclear | 13.46 |
| Solar photovoltaic | 0.08 |
| Wind | 35.42 |
| Other (please specify and explain below) | --- |
A brief description of other sources of electricity not specified above:
Electricity use by source based on Alliant Energy fuel mix from 2020. This does not take into account Luther's own renewable energy production.
Energy used for heating buildings, by source::
| Percentage of total energy used to heat buildings (0-100) | |
| Biomass | 0 |
| Coal | 0 |
| Electricity | 3 |
| Fuel oil | 0 |
| Geothermal | 6.84 |
| Natural gas | 90.16 |
| Other (please specify and explain below) | --- |
A brief description of other sources of building heating not specified above:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Nearly 85 percent of Luther’s carbon footprint is associated with the energy we use on campus. Electricity purchases from our coal-intensive part of the U.S. electrical grid account for 51 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions. The direct combustion of fossil fuels in our heating plant and fleet vehicles represents another 33 percent.
Luther College has invested in several renewable energy systems to heat and power our campus and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. These investments include geothermal energy systems at Baker Village (1999) and the Center for the Arts (2003), a 1.6 megawatt (MW) wind turbine on the bluff west of campus (2011), and several solar photovoltaic (PV) systems (2011-2020).
Luther currently hosts 2 MW of solar capacity. 55% of the electricity used by Luther College comes from renewable sources.
We commissioned an Energy Master Plan in 2019 to examine ways to reduce our dependence on consuming fossil fuels for the HVAC needs of campus. This plan relies on migrating to low temperature hot water loops and chilled water loops to feed our buildings. While the plan has been created, we are working on how to implement it in the future. It will rely on a combination of geo-thermal energy to feed the loops, as well as some existing chillers.
Nearly 85 percent of Luther’s carbon footprint is associated with the energy we use on campus. Electricity purchases from our coal-intensive part of the U.S. electrical grid account for 51 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions. The direct combustion of fossil fuels in our heating plant and fleet vehicles represents another 33 percent.
Luther College has invested in several renewable energy systems to heat and power our campus and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. These investments include geothermal energy systems at Baker Village (1999) and the Center for the Arts (2003), a 1.6 megawatt (MW) wind turbine on the bluff west of campus (2011), and several solar photovoltaic (PV) systems (2011-2020).
Luther currently hosts 2 MW of solar capacity. 55% of the electricity used by Luther College comes from renewable sources.
We commissioned an Energy Master Plan in 2019 to examine ways to reduce our dependence on consuming fossil fuels for the HVAC needs of campus. This plan relies on migrating to low temperature hot water loops and chilled water loops to feed our buildings. While the plan has been created, we are working on how to implement it in the future. It will rely on a combination of geo-thermal energy to feed the loops, as well as some existing chillers.
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.