Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Thermal Project – Plymouth State University (2013) 

Introduction 

Plymouth State University is committed to the pursuit of environmental sustainability and to identifying efficient ways to achieve goals for campus operations. In addition, as a public institution, the University has a responsibility to ensure that financial decisions made balance diverse goals.

For the last several years, the University has been exploring multiple energy strategies which lower overall energy costs and makes progress towards carbon neutrality, as reflected in the Climate Action Plan (CAP), as part of the President’s Climate Commitment signed in May 2007. Some of the strategies considered were leading edge ideas as well as proven biomass alternatives.

The primary campus group charged with studying and recommending energy alternatives is a group called the Energy Committee with member ship from various segments of the campus including: Physical Plant, Finance Office, Office of Sustainability, Purchasing, and our Co-Gen Plant Contractor – Noresco. This group meets bi-weekly and has done the bulk of the work to explore energy alternatives for the campus.

Next fall, the University will be converting the Co-Generation plant from diesel fuel (#6) to Compressed Natural Gas as our primary source of fuel in heating the campus. The rest of the document explains the strategy and expected outcomes.

Strategy and Outcomes 

There are several motivations for this change including cost savings and improving our institution’s relationship with the environment to achieve our goal to cut carbon emissions to address global warming. Compressed natural gas (CNG) will be used as a transition fuel to achieve these cost and environmental goals in the short term, with a conversion to a biomass fuel source as the long-term strategy for thermal generation on campus. Biogas from dairy farms and various biomass energy sources were extensively explored as alternative fuels for the thermal plant, but for a variety of reasons were not a feasible option at this time for the University. Converting our thermal generation to CNG will allow us to achieve significant cost savings while reducing both our pollutant load and our carbon emissions.

The decision to use CNG as a fuel source was a complex one that involved many considerations, including extensive discussions of issues associated with the production of the fuel including fracking. In short, the decision was made to move ahead with the project even in light of these concerns because of the following major considerations: 3

• The current funding climate. Conversion to a less expensive fuel will generate budget savings that can fund the capital needs as well as provide additional resources for strategic campus priorities.

• The conversion brings financial savings to Plymouth State University that can help control tuition costs; projected project payback is less than one year.

• The negative environmental impacts of our current fuel source (Fuel oil #6) are significant and an alternative fuel is critical to meet long-term sustainability goals.

• The EPA is changing air quality rules to make #6 fuel oil even more expensive to use because of its heavy pollutant load.

• Converting to CNG reduces our carbon footprint by about 12% and an energy solution is critical to reaching the long-term goal of carbon neutrality.

• CNG is firmly viewed as a transition fuel to biomass for the institution, and the infrastructure being used in the project reflects that decision.

• Greener U, the sustainability consulting firm in the Master Planning process, has reviewed the plan and identified it as a sound one for reaching our institutional goals.

Our current fuel source is extremely polluting in both emissions and its production, so despite continuing concerns about fracking, the benefits of the project clearly outweigh the benefits of the status quo. Most of our CNG fuel will be coming from pipeline gas transported from Canada which does not use fracking as an extraction method.

There will be some construction activity this summer near the Co-Gen plant to allow for CNG fuel trucks to deliver their fuel directly to the plant. Further, the University has engaged energy consultants and contractors to properly design the systems to accept and process the fuel as well as meet all safety and code requirements.

This technology is called a “virtual pipeline” as pipeline gas is transported to the location as opposed to tapping directly off the pipeline. The technology to facilitate this process is cutting edge and Plymouth State will be one of the first organizations to utilize this model and we believe the first in New Hampshire.

We look forward to continuing to share news about this exciting project, and to answering questions members of our community may have about it. Please feel free to email either of us if you have any follow up questions.

We are happy to share that so far this year Plymouth State University’s Recyclemania results are the best they have ever been. Through the efforts of Physical Plant and the Office of Environmental Sustainability we have been able to track and record the weight of trash and recyclables thrown out each week on campus. We now have the results as of week 3 of the competition in the categories PSU is competing in this year: Grand Champion, Per Capita Classic, Gorilla, and Waste Minimization.

The Grand Champion category tracks the recycling rate of each college by measuring the pounds of recycling and dividing by the total amount of waste collected (recyclables + trash). As of week 3 in the competition PSU ranks 57^th out of 250 participating schools nationwide! So far during the competition 41% of the waste generated on campus is recycled.

The Per Capita Classic category measures the amount of recycling produced by schools on a per capita basis (pounds of recyclables per person). In this category of the Recyclemania competition PSU ranks 163^rd out of 402 participating schools. As a university each person recycles an average of 3.64 pounds of recyclables each week during the competition so far.

The Gorilla category measures the total amount of recycling generated by each school. We currently rank 194^th out of 407 schools in this category. It is important to note that this category of the competition does not produce standardized measures, so the size of a school is a big factor in performance in this measure. During Recyclemania so far we have produced 21,600 pounds of recycling.

The fourth category of the competition which we are participating in is Waste Minimization. This category tracks which schools can produce the least amount of total waste, generated in both trash and recycling, on a per capita basis. At PSU we have always considered this our most important category in the competition, as having a lot of recyclables indicates a lot of consumption, which may not be our goal. As of week 3 in the competition Plymouth State University ranked 47^th out of 178 participating schools from across the nation! This data indicate that each person on campus produces about 8.8 pounds of waste each week.

We are doing great in the competition so far, and are number one in the state of New Hampshire in the Grand Champion and Waste Minimization categories.  Let’s try to beat Keene State, the #1 college in New Hampshire in the Per Capita Classic and Gorilla categories, by increasing the amount of waste which we recycle!

We are in the first weeks of the 10 week competition, and we are encouraging all members of the campus community to make an extra effort to recycle. We record the weight of co-mingled recycling and trash collected each week, which is then entered into the national Recyclemania data sheet. Last year we participated in two categories of the competition, Gorilla Prize and Waste Minimization. In the Gorilla Prize competition, the school with the highest gross tonnage of recyclables wins. Last year we were 199^th out of 296 schools in the Gorilla Prize category The Waste Minimization category focuses on the efforts to reduce waste generated by determining which school produces the least amount of waste, including both trash and recyclables, on a per person basis.. We were 59^th out of 182 schools in this category.

This year we are participating in Gorilla Prize, Waste Minimization, Grand Champion, and Per Capita Classic categories of the competition. In the Grand Champion categories the total trash and recycling are combined to determine the school’s recycling rate. In the Per Capita Classic schools compete to see who can collect the most recycling on a per person basis. The winners of this competition will receive national recognition as well as the satisfaction of helping live in a more sustainable society. So, start recycling and let’s be #1 in the state this year!

What can you do to help? Simply take your recyclables to the recycling bins! There are large bins in all of the Resident halls and throughout campus building to make doing the right thing as easy as possible. If you have cardboard to recycle simply flatten it and place it behind recycling bins in your building. Finally, be sure only recyclable materials without waste in them go in recycling bins, as contamination with waster can result in processing plants rejecting recyclable materials.

If everyone does the simple task of recycling it will add up fast. The more people that participate, the better our school’s numbers are and the higher we rank, so let’s make green more than just our school color at Plymouth State University!

In The Office of Environmental Sustainability at Plymouth State University we work closely with these diverse members of the campus community to meet our University goal to make Plymouth State University carbon neutral by the year 2050, and to improve our relationship with the environment as a whole. Our efforts are conducted in collaboration with faculty, staff, and students, and our project partners include the Office of Residential Life and Physical Plant, both of whom are strong supporters of sustainability. The work we do is grounded efforts to raise awareness and promote more sustainable practices on campus both in and outside of the workplace through behavior change and infrastructure improvement. Our goal is not only to make the campus more sustainable, but also to educate our faculty, staff, and students in ways to live more sustainably that will last a lifetime and extend far beyond campus.

Currently, we are working on many projects and events to achieve these goals. For example on December first we ended our annual “Do it in the Dark” season, which is an energy saving competition between residence halls, and students have saved impressive amounts of energy. This year’s winner was Belknap Hall, and residents reduced electricity consumption by almost 20% during the competition. We are hard at work on voluntary sustainability audits for residence hall rooms and a Green Office program on campus that will enable interested persons and groups to identify ways to improve their sustainability. In the spring we will participate again in Recyclemania, a national recycling competition, and for the first year PSU will also participate in the Campus Conservation Nationals, one of the first national energy reduction competitions focused on college campuses.  The are just examples of a few of the activities we are engaged in, and we hope you have a chance to see you at one of our events this year.

The Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES) is located in EcoHouse, and the work is conducted by the Director of OES and a number of student employees. Engaging students in experiential education through participation in campus sustainability efforts is one of the tenets used to guide the efforts of OES, and we are fortunate to work with many talented students. In the spring semester of 2013 Rebecca Webster, a graduate student in the Biology Program, is the Sustainability Fellows Coordinator, and student employees include Janelle Emerson as the Events Coordinator, Chris McCarthy as the Permaculture Coordinator, and Caitlyn Kearney as the Communications Coordinator for the OES. Justin Hurd, Keriann Ross, Patricia Manning, and Alison Savage work as sustainability fellows in OES, conducting outreach on sustainability issues in residence halls and across campus in collaboration with other offices on campus, including The Office of Residential Life. Lauren Comis and Kent Dunlevy are the student Eco House advisors in 2012-2013, and Steve Whitman and Brian Eisenhauer are co-directors of the EcoHouse project. Brian Eisenhauer has the pleasure of serving as the Director of the Office of Environmental Sustainability.

We will continue to provide resources to help the campus community be more sustainable, and if you have questions about our sustainability efforts at Plymouth State University please contact OES and we’ll do our best to respond quickly.

We look forward to working with you to achieve a sustainable Plymouth State University!

Belknap residents reduced their energy consumption 25.23% from the baseline energy usage established in 2009, edging out Pemigewasset Hall with a 24.28% reduction, followed by Grafton Hall with 22.28% reduction, Smith Hall with 21.11% reduction, Blair Hall with 16.84% reduction, Mary Lyon Hall with 10.25% reduction, Langdon Woods with 7.09% reduction and Samuel Read Hall Hall with a 6.81% reduction in energy consumption.

The goal of the competition is to increase the students’ awareness of energy conservation, an awareness they can apply outside of the University. Belknap Resident Hall Director Bob Feeny said the students really wanted to win the competition.

 

“We honestly didn’t notice the competition after the first week or so,” said Feeny. “It made me realize how quickly culture can change when everyone gets on board.  I was constantly hearing students reminding each other to turn off lights in the common areas.  It was refreshing to see that kind of spontaneous, organic community cooperation.”

“Do It in the Dark” was started in 2007 and is a joint project sponsored by the Office of Environmental Sustainability, the Office of Residential Life and Physical Plant. Brian Eisenhauer, PSU’s Director of Sustainability, said the competition not only saves energy; it raises students’ awareness about saving resources.

“The work we do on this competition is an excellent example of our sustainability goals, as we can see the direct results of students’ efforts on campus in reduced energy use,” Eisenhauer said. “Through engaging students we also hope they learn principles that last a lifetime and benefit them long after they leave the Plymouth State University campus.”

As a reward for winning the “Do It in the Dark” competition, Belknap residents will get their laundry done for half-price in February. On average, each on-campus Plymouth State student spends about $700 each semester on energy costs.

 

Thanks to Bruce Lyndes in the Office of Public Relations at Plymouth State University for his work on this press release.

PLYMOUTH, N.H.- Plymouth State University’s concerted efforts in becoming environmentally sustainable have landed it on a prestigious ranking of the country’s greenest colleges. The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges is an in-depth look at the most environmentally friendly institutions of higher learning nationwide, and according to the Review, PSU has “demonstrated an above average commitment to sustainability in terms of campus infrastructure, activities and initiatives.” The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) partnered with the Review in compiling the list. PSU President Sara Jayne Steen said the institution has made a commitment to becoming environmentally responsible and the ranking embodies that goal.

Located on Route 175-A in Holderness across from the Foley Gymnasium, the first phase of Plymouth State University’s ALLWell (Active Living, Learning, and Wellness) Center is the construction of an ice arena. The Ice Arena will serve as a teaching facility for instruction and research in ice activities, a home for Panther varsity men’s and women’s ice hockey teams with seating for 850 spectators, and a Welcome Center that will provide an attractive meeting place for visitors to the campus and towns of Plymouth and Holderness and the region.

The Ice Arena will be built to meet LEED Silver standards by installing sophisticated geothermal heating/cooling design to maximize energy conservation opportunities.

“In order to maximize the sustainability of this facility, PSU is installing the large geothermal field and using other energy-saving devices that will reduce energy consumption by at least 28 percent over a traditional arena,” said PSU’s Director of Environmental Sustainability Bill Crangle.

The combination of geothermal and the capture of waste heat generated by ice making equipment will provide the heat for the facility thereby removing reliance on traditional fuel-based heating system.

Construction workers are hard at work on the PSU Ice Arena, which is scheduled to open in 2010

Because of the energy-efficient design, this facility will require less energy consumption than PSU’s traditional academic and residential buildings of the same size. Because of the design and operating systems, the structure will be one of the most energy efficient ice arenas in the nation.

Here are the highlights of the energy efficient design and construction of PSU’s Ice Arena:

• Building will meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver standards
• An integrated ice-making/heating/cooling system is the most energy efficient system on the market today
• Geothermal system Saves energy, provides heating, cooling and hot water for building, eliminates the need for use of fossil fuels
• Ice refrigeration system is integrated with the Geothermal and uses non toxic glycol instead of toxic ammonia, radiant heat is provided through waste heat
• Low energy lighting – interior and exterior – saves energy and preserves the night sky
• Energy costs are 30 less than traditional ice arenas
• Bioswales in the parking area control and filter storm water, improving the overall quality of water returning to the aquifer
• Water efficient plumbing fixtures reduce water use
• Shuttle service, bike storage, and changing rooms encourage alternative transportation
• Construction of the ice arena uses sustainable methods such as recycling construction waste, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified wood products, and use of local materials and contractors

By signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, PSU has made a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality. The PSU Office of Sustainability works in partnership with the PSU President’s Commission on Environmental Sustainability and the University Environment Committee to advance the University’s goals on sustainability.

In addition, the University will make the Ice Arena available to area science classes to provide the opportunity to learn about the various “green” technologies being implemented.