Projects
Wind Turbine Project
In 2004, a project began to install three, 1.5 megawatt (at a minimum) wind turbines on the campus South Farms by allocating a $300K from the Student Clean Energy Fee. The total funds allocated for the project are $5.7M--$300K from the Student Clean Energy Fee, $2M grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundations and $3.4 by the University. Once completed, this facility would be one of the first University-owned, multi-turbine, on-campus wind farms in the United States. The University will own, operate and maintain the turbines. Campus facilities will use 100 percent of the electricity generated by the wind turbines; the energy will feed directly into the University electric distribution system. The three turbines will provide approximately three percent of campus electricity use. The wind turbines are expected to be installed and operational by the end of 2008.
Union Audit and Retrofits
In 2006, the committee allocated $40K for an Energy Audit and Retrofits of the Illini Union. In 2007, the audit was completed through SEDAC, with help of student volunteers. Lighting retrofits are planned for the Union costing a total of $90,000, funded in part by the remainder of the grant from the Committee. The retrofits will save the Union $28,900 per year in electricity costs, while reducing green house gas emissions by 469 tons per year.
UIUC Biodiesel Initiative
The Biodiesel Initiative, sponsored by Engineers Without Borders, is a project involving the collection of waste vegetable oil (WVO) from all University dining halls. Then it is converted into biodiesel fuel that can be used by campus vehicles maintained by the Facilities & Services Garage and Car Pool. The Biodiesel Initiative received a $10,000 grant from the Committee in 2007.
The University dining halls currently produce approximately 250 gallons of WVO per week during the school year, which can yield 250 gallons of biodiesel. The Garage & Car Pool currently utilizes approx. 7,500 gallons of diesel each month. Once full production is achieved, at least 8,000 gallons of biodiesel will be produced each academic year, saving an expected $8,000 per year at this scale. Biodiesel projects like this are estimated to have an energy balance of 13.5; (for every one unit of energy input, 3.5 are produced).
The student team will also seek non-University sources of WVO (i.e. local restaurants) to create more biodiesel for use by the University and also to possibly expand biodiesel use to the Champaign Urbana Mass Transit District.
The Biodiesel Initiative is currently building a test reactor and expects to reach full production by Spring 2008. More information can be found at https//www.ewb-uiuc.org/biodiesel.
Photovoltaic Array and Green Roof
- Business Instructional Facility
The new Business Instructional Facility (BIF) will host a photovoltaic (PV) array, which converts solar energy into electricity, as part of the LEED®-Gold design of the building. The 3,700 square foot photovoltaic (PV) array will produce approximately 55,000 kwh of electricity per year, or 5% to 7% of the annual consumption of the new facility. The $373,000 cost of the PV array is shared equally between funds from the per-semester clean energy technology fee (made available through a student referendum in 2003) and funds from the State of Illinois Clean Energy Foundation.
In addition to the PV array, a grant from the Sustainability Committee has led the way to 5,100 square feet of green (i.e. vegetative) roof on two different areas of the BIF. Building areas protected by the green roofs are expected to see 30% lower heating/cooling loads and perhaps a four to five times longer roof life, with the additional benefit of reducing storm water runoff by as much as 50% to 75%.
The additional first cost of $75,000 for the green roof areas is funded entirely by the student-led and administered clean energy technology fee.
Ethanol (E-85) Tank
This project is to install a 1,000-gallon above ground ethanol (E-85) storage tank for the University of Illinois Facilities & Services (F&S) Garage & Car Pool (G&CP) Department. Facilities & Services will use the E-85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) blend in over 120 flex-fuel vehicles. The use of this renewable fuel supports both state and University sustainability initiatives.
The Garage & Car Pool consumes approximately 300,000 gallons of gasoline per year. G&CP anticipates the E-85 tank will offset up to 40,000 gallons of gasoline per year with ethanol, reducing emissions by approximately 30 percent with a small reduction in fuel economy. Installation of the E-85 tank is expected Summer 2007. A grant from the committee supported $30,000 of the total project cost of $45,000.
Waste Management Research Center Lighting Retrofits
The Waste Management Research Center plans to replace the lights in office and laboratory areas with more energy efficient lights and add occupancy centers with a grant from the Sustainability Committee for $23,450. This lighting project will not only reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, but also demonstrate leadership in energy efficiency. Annual savings generated from the project will total $4,820.