| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.51 |
| Liaison | Aurora Sharrard |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2021 |
University of Pittsburgh
OP-6: Clean and Renewable Energy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.21 / 4.00 |
Aurora
Sharrard Executive Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
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) | 10,376,593.99 Kilowatt-hours | 35,404.94 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, clean and renewable sources (rights retained/retired) | 4,366.76 Kilowatt-hours | 14.90 MMBtu |
A brief description of the certified/verified sources of clean and renewable electricity:
For Fiscal Year 2020 (7/1/19 through 6/30/20), this includes:
+ 9,172,888.79 kWh for GS/GM Accounts (via Constellation contract that includes 100% RECs)
+ 1,203,705.2 for GL Accounts (via Talen contract, started 6/1/20 that includes 100% RECs)
+ 4,366.755 kWh produced by the on-site photovoltaic array on Benedum Hall
More info on Pitt's renewable energy present and future is online here: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/renewable-energy/
A brief description of the on-site renewable electricity generating facilities/devices:
While the University of Pittsburgh has a total of 3 on-site renewable installations in the university system, only 1 is within the boundary of this AASHE STARS report.
Benedum Hall boasts a 4.32 kW photovoltaic installation on its roof, which was installed in 2012. This photovoltaic (PV) array is for research purposes, including 18 solar PV panels at different tilts (25 degrees and 45 degrees) and positioned in 3 directions (East, South, and West). It produces ~4,000 kWh annually, which is tied in directly to the building. View Benedum Hall's PV's real-time electricity production here: https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/pv/public_systems/CPrj147358/overview.
Details about Pitt's on-site renewables are here: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/renewable-energy/
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:
n/a
A brief description of the certified/verified sources of clean and renewable thermal energy:
n/a
Unbundled renewable energy products (report kWh):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Purchased RECs, GOs, I-RECs or equivalent unbundled renewable energy products certified by a third party | 16,000,743 Kilowatt-hours | 54,594.54 MMBtu |
A brief description of the unbundled renewable energy products:
For Fiscal Year 2020 (7/1/19 through 6/30/20), the University of Pittsburgh made the following renewable energy credit (REC) purchases:
+ 16,000 MWh for Fiscal Year 2020 from Carbon Solutions Group (Contract signed 9/26/19)
+ 743 MWh purchased for GSPH LEED certification for FY20 from Terrapass (Contract signed 3/5/19)
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 | 0.15 |
| Coal | 20.84 |
| Geothermal | 0 |
| Hydro | 1.16 |
| Natural gas | 31.54 |
| Nuclear | 29.24 |
| Solar photovoltaic | 0.30 |
| Wind | 15.91 |
| Other (please specify and explain below) | 0.86 |
A brief description of other sources of electricity not specified above:
The calculations above take the 2019 PJM fuel mix for the Pittsburgh region and layers in on-site solar PV production, while accounting for all directly procured energy and RECs as national wind.
The "other" category in this calculation includes the following sources (referenced with the % of the larger electricity grid they provide, not as Pitt's sources): 0.51% waste-to-energy, 0.30% captured methane, 0.1% oil, and 0.027% non-renewable fuel cells.
Energy used for heating buildings, by source::
| Percentage of total energy used to heat buildings (0-100) | |
| Biomass | --- |
| Coal | --- |
| Electricity | --- |
| Fuel oil | --- |
| Geothermal | --- |
| Natural gas | 100 |
| Other (please specify and explain below) | --- |
A brief description of other sources of building heating not specified above:
Most University of Pittsburgh facilities are heated by steam, which is generated by two cooperatively-owned district steam plants currently fueled by 100% natural gas. The plants are also capable of burning fuel oil, but only as a backup fuel source in case of emergencies. Buildings not heated by steam are heated by natural gas.
Some buildings also receive cooling via chilled water (which is produced on campus with electricity), but this question refers to heating only.
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Pitt's renewable energy journey: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/renewable-energy/
Pitt's renewable energy journey: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/renewable-energy/
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.