Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 61.04
Liaison Tina Woolston
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Tufts University
OP-6: Clean and Renewable Energy

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.00 / 4.00 Shoshana Blank
Education and Outreach Program Administrator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total energy consumption (all sources, excluding transportation fuels), performance year :
754,600 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:
85.30 MMBtu

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

23.8 kW photovoltaic system on Sophia Gordon Hall, installed in 2006. This is the one solar installation for which Tufts retains or has retired the associated environmental attributes. 85.3 MMBtu is equivalent to 25,000 kWh that is estimated to be generated annually by this solar installation.

In addition, we have the following on-site renewables, for which we do not retain the renewable energy certificates (RECs):
- 99 kW photovoltaic system on Dowling Hall, installed in 2014.
- 2.5 MW DC PV system built on eight acres south of the Bernice Barbour Wildlife Medicine Building on Grafton campus.
- Approximately 1.27 MW DC PV system on four acres near Grafton Science Park, both Grafton projects installed in 2017.

Sunbug Solar, the company that installed the Dowling solar panels, also provided $10,000 to fund the construction of a student-designed solar installation on campus that can charge portable electronics. This project was installed on Hodgdon Hall during fall semester 2018 with help from the Green Fund.

In 2018, Tufts entered into power purchase agreement with Solect to install solar panels on Lewis Hall, the Science & Engineering Complex, and potentially some other sites. The agreement assigns the RECs to Solect in order to provide a lower electricity cost to Tufts.


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

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

Sophia Gordon Hall hosts a roof mounted solar thermal system to supplement the gas-fired domestic hot water system used in the residence hall.

Schmalz House has two solar thermal panels for supplemental domestic hot water and a small photovoltaic panel to run the system pump.

There is no meter on either system. We are simply burning less fossil fuels to create hot water.


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:
0 MMBtu

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

Purchased RECs from 3 Degrees on 8/17/2009 for LEED projects.


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 2.03
Coal 4.24
Geothermal 0
Hydro 7.09
Natural gas 37.48
Nuclear 28.49
Solar photovoltaic 2.33
Wind 3.12
Other (please specify and explain below) 15.22

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

YEAR REGIONAL AVERAGE FUEL MIX SYSTEM POWER FUEL%
2018 BIOGAS 0.01%
2018 BIOMASS 2.03%
2018 COAL 4.24%
2018 DIESEL 0.96%
2018 DIGESTER GAS 0.07%
2018 EFFICIENT RESOURCE (MAINE) 0.20%
2018 FUEL CELL 0.29%
2018 HYDROELECTRIC/HYDROPOWER 7.09%
2018 JET 0.03%
2018 LANDFILL GAS 0.54%
2018 LIQUID BIOFUELS 0.39%
2018 MUNCIPAL SOLID WASTE 0.95%
2018 NATURAL GAS 37.48%
2018 NUCLEAR 28.49%
2018 OIL 7.92%
2018 SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC 2.33%
2018 SOLAR THERMAL 0.02%
2018 TRASH-TO-ENERGY 2.26%
2018 WIND 3.12%
2018 WOOD 1.58%

From Direct Energy Services, LLC, for 4/1/2017 through 3/31/2018


Energy used for heating buildings, by source::
Percentage of total energy used to heat buildings (0-100)
Biomass 0
Coal 0
Electricity 0
Fuel oil 2.10
Geothermal 0
Natural gas 66
Other (please specify and explain below) 31.80

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

Propane - 1.1%
Purchased steam - 30.7%


Percentage of total energy consumption from clean and renewable sources:
0.01

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Performance year is FY18


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.