| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.67 |
| Liaison | Aurora Sharrard |
| Submission Date | Feb. 13, 2024 |
University of Pittsburgh
OP-6: Clean and Renewable Energy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.26 / 4.00 |
Aurora
Sharrard Executive Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Total energy consumption (electric and non-electric)
1,698,833.83
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) | 31,328,633 Kilowatt-hours | 106,893.30 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:
For Fiscal Year 2023 (7/1/22 through 6/30/23), this included:
+ 31,328,633 kWh for L/GL Accounts (via EDF Energy Services; only 20% of contract is RECs, which is amount shown here)
+ 1,2427 kWh for RS Accounts (via Verde Energy contract which is 100% RECs)
+ 1,105 kWh for another RS account (via Green Mountain Energy, which is 100% RECs)
= Zero kWh produced by the on-site photovoltaic array on Benedum Hall (which was offline for research purposes)
More info on Pitt's renewable energy present and future is online here: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/energy-emissions/?tab=renewableenergy
+ 31,328,633 kWh for L/GL Accounts (via EDF Energy Services; only 20% of contract is RECs, which is amount shown here)
+ 1,2427 kWh for RS Accounts (via Verde Energy contract which is 100% RECs)
+ 1,105 kWh for another RS account (via Green Mountain Energy, which is 100% RECs)
= Zero kWh produced by the on-site photovoltaic array on Benedum Hall (which was offline for research purposes)
More info on Pitt's renewable energy present and future is online here: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/energy-emissions/?tab=renewableenergy
A brief description of the on-site renewable electricity generating facilities/devices:
The University of Pittsburgh has on-site solar installations dating back to 2012 — and is planning for additional future installations. While Pitt has 4 total on-site renewable installations in the University system, only 2 are on Pitt owned and/or occupied buildings in Pittsburgh, as summarized below:
1) Benedum Hall (4.32 kW rooftop photovoltaic installation) – Installed in 2012, this array is for research purposes, including 18 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at different tilts (25 degrees and 45 degrees) and positioned in 3 directions (East, South, and West). It is connected to an Engineering picogrid for research purpose and produces ~4,000 kWh annually on average.
2) Energy GRID Institute (~50 kW rooftop solar array) – Installed in Spring 2020 to serve the Pitt Energy GRID Institute’s Electric Power Technologies Laboratory research (in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District), a leased space in the Energy Innovation Center (so not in the University's operational boundary).
Additional rooftop solar installations are in design and construction phases for a number of buildings, including (but not limited to):
• Arena & Sports Performance Center
• Bioforge
• Fifth & Halket
• Hillman Library
• Recreation & Wellness Center
• Existing Pittsburgh campus buildings (Coming in 2024)
Details about Pitt's on-site renewables are here: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/energy-emissions/#solar
1) Benedum Hall (4.32 kW rooftop photovoltaic installation) – Installed in 2012, this array is for research purposes, including 18 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at different tilts (25 degrees and 45 degrees) and positioned in 3 directions (East, South, and West). It is connected to an Engineering picogrid for research purpose and produces ~4,000 kWh annually on average.
2) Energy GRID Institute (~50 kW rooftop solar array) – Installed in Spring 2020 to serve the Pitt Energy GRID Institute’s Electric Power Technologies Laboratory research (in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District), a leased space in the Energy Innovation Center (so not in the University's operational boundary).
Additional rooftop solar installations are in design and construction phases for a number of buildings, including (but not limited to):
• Arena & Sports Performance Center
• Bioforge
• Fifth & Halket
• Hillman Library
• Recreation & Wellness Center
• Existing Pittsburgh campus buildings (Coming in 2024)
Details about Pitt's on-site renewables are here: https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/energy-emissions/#solar
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:
n/a
A brief description of the certified/verified sources of clean and renewable thermal energy:
n/a
Unbundled renewable energy products
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Purchased RECs, GOs, I-RECs or equivalent unbundled renewable energy products certified by a third party | 800,000 Kilowatt-hours | 2,729.60 MMBtu |
A brief description of the unbundled renewable energy products:
For Fiscal Year 2023 (7/1/22 through 6/30/23), the University of Pittsburgh made the following renewable energy credit (REC) purchases:
+ 800 MWh for each of Calendar Years 2022 and 2023 (reported in those respective fiscal years), specific to Salk Hall.
Though not included in this answer, it is worth noting that starting in FY24, Pitt is purchasing all of the electricity from the Vesper Gaucho Solar farm ~25 miles from the Pittsburgh campus, which provides ~18% of the Pittsburgh campus’s annual electricity use (~35,700 MWh annually).
>> https://www.pitt.edu/pittwire/features-articles/gaucho-solar-farm-opening
+ 800 MWh for each of Calendar Years 2022 and 2023 (reported in those respective fiscal years), specific to Salk Hall.
Though not included in this answer, it is worth noting that starting in FY24, Pitt is purchasing all of the electricity from the Vesper Gaucho Solar farm ~25 miles from the Pittsburgh campus, which provides ~18% of the Pittsburgh campus’s annual electricity use (~35,700 MWh annually).
>> https://www.pitt.edu/pittwire/features-articles/gaucho-solar-farm-opening
Metrics used in scoring
109,622.90
MMBtu
Percentage of total energy consumption from clean and renewable sources:
6.45
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 | --- |
| Coal | --- |
| Geothermal | --- |
| Hydro | --- |
| Natural gas | --- |
| Nuclear | --- |
| Solar photovoltaic | --- |
| Wind | --- |
| Other (please specify and explain below) | --- |
A brief description of other sources of electricity not specified above:
---
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 | --- |
| 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.
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/campus-culture/facilities/energy-emissions/?tab=renewableenergy
Pitt's on- and off-site solar installations and partnerships - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/energy-emissions/?tab=solar
Pitt's off-site low-impact hydropower partnership - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/energy-emissions/?tab=hydro
Pitt's energy systems - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/energy-emissions/
Pitt's on- and off-site solar installations and partnerships - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/energy-emissions/?tab=solar
Pitt's off-site low-impact hydropower partnership - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/energy-emissions/?tab=hydro
Pitt's energy systems - https://www.sustainable.pitt.edu/campus-culture/facilities/energy-emissions/
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.