| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.17 |
| Liaison | Taylor Smith |
| Submission Date | July 26, 2022 |
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
OP-6: Clean and Renewable Energy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.90 / 4.00 |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Total energy consumption (electric and non-electric)
499,826.96
MMBtu
Clean and renewable energy sources
Clean and renewable electricity
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity from certified/verified clean and renewable sources (i.e., bundled green power purchases) | 7,783,007 Kilowatt-hours | 26,555.62 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, clean and renewable sources (rights retained/retired) | 0 Kilowatt-hours | 0 MMBtu |
A brief description of the certified/verified sources of clean and renewable electricity:
In May 2008, nine months after signing the ACUPCC, UMBC committed to getting 20% of its electricity from renewable sources. Initially, Maryland’s Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant was the primary source for UMBC’s renewable energy. Since then, UMBC has shifted toward Tier I renewable sources (wind and solar) and has been ramping-up its renewable energy percentage.
Beginning in 2009, UMBC was involved in the State’s collaborative process for “Generating Clean Horizons,” a first-of-its-kind initiative to spur large-scale renewable projects in/near Maryland. Renewable energy production from Clean Horizons began in 2011. UMBC is buying Clean Horizons renewable energy via three Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs): Pinnacle wind, Roth Rock wind, and Mount St. Mary’s solar. These PPAs include the electricity commodity and the associated/bundled Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Annually, UMBC gets about 10 million kWh from Clean Horizons PPAs, which is about 15% of the campus’ electricity.
To meet Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), the percentage of electricity that must come from various renewable sources each calendar year, UMBC purchases additional RECs as required. The remainder of UMBC’s renewable energy comes from the strategic procurement of voluntary Green-e certified RECs. In 2018, one-third (33.3%) of UMBC’s electricity came from renewable energy sources.
UMBC’s renewable energy is being produced where it is most practical and on a large enough scale to make it economically viable. UMBC’s renewable energy strategy supports the triple bottom line—environmental, social, and economic performance—for true sustainability.
Beginning in 2009, UMBC was involved in the State’s collaborative process for “Generating Clean Horizons,” a first-of-its-kind initiative to spur large-scale renewable projects in/near Maryland. Renewable energy production from Clean Horizons began in 2011. UMBC is buying Clean Horizons renewable energy via three Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs): Pinnacle wind, Roth Rock wind, and Mount St. Mary’s solar. These PPAs include the electricity commodity and the associated/bundled Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Annually, UMBC gets about 10 million kWh from Clean Horizons PPAs, which is about 15% of the campus’ electricity.
To meet Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), the percentage of electricity that must come from various renewable sources each calendar year, UMBC purchases additional RECs as required. The remainder of UMBC’s renewable energy comes from the strategic procurement of voluntary Green-e certified RECs. In 2018, one-third (33.3%) of UMBC’s electricity came from renewable energy sources.
UMBC’s renewable energy is being produced where it is most practical and on a large enough scale to make it economically viable. UMBC’s renewable energy strategy supports the triple bottom line—environmental, social, and economic performance—for true sustainability.
A brief description of the on-site renewable electricity generating facilities/devices:
N/A
Clean and renewable thermal energy
| 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
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Purchased RECs, GOs, I-RECs or equivalent unbundled renewable energy products certified by a third party | 25,319,105 Kilowatt-hours | 86,388.79 MMBtu |
A brief description of the unbundled renewable energy products:
UMBC only purchases Green-e certified RECs. Every FY UMBC escalates the purchases of RECs as per the schedule in the Climate Action Plan (https://sustainability.umbc.edu/home/what-umbc-is-doing/cap/energy/).
During this reporting period, our goal was 40% renewable energy.
During this reporting period, our goal was 40% renewable energy.
Metrics used in scoring
112,944.41
MMBtu
Percentage of total energy consumption from clean and renewable sources:
22.60
Optional Fields
Sierra magazine requests the following information from U.S. institutions that wish to share data with that organization:
| Percentage of total electricity use (0-100) | |
| Biomass | 1.60 |
| Coal | 25 |
| Geothermal | 0 |
| Hydro | 5.80 |
| Natural gas | 19.70 |
| Nuclear | 44.30 |
| Solar photovoltaic | 0.80 |
| Wind | 1.60 |
| Other (please specify and explain below) | 1.20 |
A brief description of other sources of electricity not specified above:
Petroleum
Energy used for heating buildings, by source::
| Percentage of total energy used to heat buildings (0-100) | |
| Biomass | --- |
| Coal | --- |
| Electricity | --- |
| Fuel oil | 1 |
| Geothermal | --- |
| Natural gas | 99 |
| Other (please specify and explain below) | --- |
A brief description of other sources of building heating not specified above:
Fuel oil is only used as a backup fuel source.
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---
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.