| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.39 |
| Liaison | Shane Stennes |
| Submission Date | Dec. 15, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
OP-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.02 / 10.00 |
August
Horner Sustainability Student Asst Office of Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
None
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions?:
Yes
None
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include all Scope 3 GHG emissions from any of the following categories?:
| Yes or No | |
| Business travel | No |
| Commuting | Yes |
| Purchased goods and services | No |
| Capital goods | No |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | No |
| Waste generated in operations | No |
None
Does the institution's GHG emissions inventory include Scope 3 emissions from other categories?:
Yes
None
A brief description of the methodology and/or tool used to complete the GHG emissions inventory:
Campuscarbon.com was used to collect and calculate all carbon emissions.
None
Has the GHG emissions inventory been validated internally by personnel who are independent of the GHG accounting and reporting process and/or verified by an independent, external third party?:
No
None
A brief description of the internal and/or external verification process:
---
None
Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 149,167 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 186,447 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from purchased electricity | 267,622 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 288,041 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Scope 2 GHG emissions from other sources | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
None
Figures needed to determine total carbon offsets::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon sequestration due to land that the institution manages specifically for sequestration | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from on-site composting | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
None
A brief description of the institution-catalyzed carbon offsets program:
---
None
A brief description of the carbon sequestration program and reporting protocol used:
---
None
A brief description of the composting and carbon storage program:
---
None
A brief description of the purchased carbon offsets, including third party verifier(s) and contract timeframes:
---
None
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 6,975 | 6,577 |
| Number of residential employees | 18 | 18 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 1,932 | 1,932 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 45,291.65 | 44,394.24 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 18,475 | 17,053 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 596 | 88 |
None
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2014 | June 30, 2015 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 2008 |
None
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
To keep consistent to the rest of the reports baseline years.
None
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
23,384,200
Square feet
None
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 1,994,998 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 421,064 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 3,261,599 Square feet |
None
Scope 3 GHG emissions, performance year::
| Emissions | |
| Business travel | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Commuting | 38,984.28 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Purchased goods and services | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Capital goods | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2 | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Waste generated in operations | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Other categories (please specify below) | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
None
A brief description of the sources included in Scope 3 GHG emissions from "other categories":
Student and Faculty commuting were taken into consideration for FY13.
None
A copy of the most recent GHG emissions inventory:
---
None
The website URL where the GHG emissions inventory is posted:
None
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including efforts made during the previous three years:
---
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities completed installation of a 38.4 kilowatt solar array on the roof of the University Office Plaza Building (2221 University Avenue) in March 2012. The campus’s second solar array will help reduce CO2 emissions, provide research opportunities and promote clean energy technology, research and development. It is expected to generate 3.8% of the building’s electricity (approximately 45,800 kilowatt hours per year) and reduce emissions by 38 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.
The panels are equipped with technology that allows for remote monitoring of individual panel performance. In addition, a meteorological station was installed on the roof to provide information about weather and its impacts on the solar array. Data from these systems will aid campus research and be made public on a website in the future.
Solar Array Weather Instruments
Meteorological Station
The University is a partner in the Energy Innovation Corridor (EIC) which showcases energy efficiency, renewable energy, transportation and smart technology along the 11 mile area surrounding the planned Central Corridor Light Rail. Funding for the $292,500 system came through the City of Minneapolis as part of a $1.35 million grant awarded to the EIC from the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Office of Energy Security. Rebates from Xcel Energy are also helping with installation costs. This new addition to the EIC promotes the latest cutting-edge solar technology. The panels installed are among the most efficient, producing more power per panel than most other solar panels available on the market today.
The solar array is another example of the University’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In January 2012 the Twin Cities campus released its second climate action plan. The plan identifies steps the Twin Cities campus will take during the next 10 years to cut its greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half. To realize this target, the campus is continuing its aggressive effort to reduce campus energy use through programs like the It All Adds Up conservation campaign and Energy Management’s building recommissioning program.
Collectively, It All Adds Up and building recommissioning have helped the University reduce annual energy use, avoid over $7 million in additional utility costs, and release 50,000 fewer tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. The campus’s climate action plan also calls for a switch to more efficient and lower emissions sources of energy production, like the combined heat and power (CHP) facility under construction on the Minneapolis campus. This facility will more efficiently create steam and electricity for campus use and result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
More information on the CHP and the University’s climate action plan is available online at http://govrelations.umn.edu/capital/power-plant.html and http://z.umn.edu/cap.
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.