Stanford University
PAE-5: Climate Action Plan

Stanford’s long-range Energy and Climate Plan, developed collaboratively, peer reviewed, and incorporating both engineering and financial models, presents a three-pronged approach to improve infrastructure and dramatically reduce GHG emissions, despite campus growth and without relying on market carbon instruments. The plan presents an adept balance among high-efficiency standards for new construction, continued efficiency programs and improvements within existing buildings, and a cutting-edge energy supply system.

Given that energy production at the CEF produces 90% of Stanford’s GHG emissions and consumes 25% of the campus’s potable water supply, changes to Stanford’s energy supply are the major focus of the Energy and Climate Plan. As a result of the significant overlap between campus heating and cooling needs, the plan outlines an innovative heat recovery design that is 70% more efficient than existing CEF operations. Waste heat collected from buildings via the chilled-water loop will be captured at the CEF for reuse, eliminating the use of conventional chillers to discharge waste heat out of cooling towers by 70%. Instead, heat recovery chillers will move the waste heat collected from the chilled-water loop to a new hot-water loop scheduled to replace Stanford’s aging steam distribution system. In addition to reducing the university’s GHG emissions to 20% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 50% below 1990 levels by 2050, heat recovery will enable an 18% savings in potable water consumption.

For more information, please watch Stanford's Climate Action video and review the associated fact sheet:
http://sustainable.stanford.edu/climate_video
http://sustainable.stanford.edu/sites/sem.stanford.edu/files/documents/Stanford_EC_factsheet_2011.pdf

The conversion of over ten miles of steam pipelines covering the entire campus to hot-water piping has already begun on an as-needed basis to support construction of new buildings. Conversion of the remaining parts of campus will proceed in 2012 after the Board of Trustees approves the project. Since most campus buildings are currently configured to receive steam, building-level modifications are also under way. Last
fall the first regional heat exchange station went live, serving more than a dozen buildings, including the new Knight Management Center and nearby athletic facilities. Over time, the conversion of buildings and steam distribution pipes to hot water will draw closer to the existing CEF, at which point a full transition to the new Heat Recovery Plant will be complete. To minimize disruption to the university, the conversion process is estimated to last five to seven years.

For more information, please watch Stanford's Climate Action video and review the associated fact sheet:
http://sustainable.stanford.edu/climate_video
http://sustainable.stanford.edu/sites/sem.stanford.edu/files/documents/Stanford_EC_factsheet_2011.pdf

In December 2011, Stanford’s Board of Trustees gave concept approval to the $438 million Stanford Energy System Innovation (SESI) project, which is designed to meet the university’s energy demand though 2050. SESI represents a significant transformation of the university from 100% fossil-fuel-based cogeneration to a more efficient electric heat recovery system, powered by a diverse mix of conventional and renewable electricity sources.

Due to the significant overlap between campus heating and cooling demand, SESI entails an innovative heat recovery design that is 70% more efficient than the existing Central Energy Facility (CEF) operations. In the new system, heat collected from buildings via the chilled-water loop will be captured at the CEF for reuse, reducing the use of conventional chillers to discharge waste heat via cooling towers. Instead, heat recovery chillers will move the heat collected from the chilled water loop to a new hot-water loop scheduled to replace Stanford’s aging steam distribution system.

SESI will result in immense benefits for Stanford University in the decades to come. When completed, SESI will reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 50%, save 18% of campus potable water, open up the energy supply platform to future technologies, enable campus to better manage its power portfolio, and yield significantly higher utilities savings though 2050.

For more information, please see the following website:
http://sustainable.stanford.edu/climate_action