Going Green: The College’s Journey to

Becoming Sustainable

Cornelius B. Murphy, Jr.SUNY-ESF

6/11/07 Leadership SummitWashington, DC

ESF Carbon Neutral by 2015

ESF Carbon Neutral by 2015

Climate Action Plan for SUNY ESFAugust, 2009

Carbon Neutral by 2015

Gateway Building

Gateway Building

Gateway Energy System Schematic

Gateway Building Energy System

System Output

• Thermal Output = 65% Campus Heating Needs (35,000+ MMBtu/yr)

• Electrical Output = 20% of Campus Electrical Needs (2,000+ MWh/yr)

• Environmental Impact = 22% Reduction in Carbon Footprint (2,700 MTCO2e/yr)

Gateway Building Energy System

Economics

• System Cost: $3.2 Million• Annual Savings: $336,000• Grants & Incentives: $1,485,000• 15 Year Net Present Value: $1.5 Million

Academic/Research Building

Forest Carbon Sequestration

Forest NameForest

Location

Net Designated

AcreageMTCO2e/ac/yr Sequestered

Total MTCO2e/yr

SequesteredPack

Demonstration Forest

Warrensburg, NY

2,181 3.031 6,612

Heiberg Memorial

Forest

Tully, NY 1,486 2.454 3,647

Total: 10,258 MTCO2e/yr sequestered & stored

All Projects 2007-2015

Fuel Mix Trend

Emission Wedges Timeline

Economic Analysis

Other Initiatives on the HorizonPilot Biomass Pellet Plants

• ESF is researching the viability of constructing a series of biomass pellet projects in Upstate New York.

• Objectives include: Research, demonstration, and

testing grounds for pellets made from various sources of biomass that can be locally produced (willow shrubs, switch grass, agricultural residue, industrial residue, woody biomass)

Successful community-scale biomass production & end-use.

Local, campus owned source of pellets to fuel ESF biomass CHP units.

Existing Renewable Energy Projects

• Campus use of biofuels• Student Biofuels Co-op (SU/ESF)• 250KW Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell• Gasification of woody biomass• Photovoltaic projects (16 KW, 23 KW and 3-

25 KW)• Wind turbine applications (vertical axis and

horizontal axis)• Ranger School wood chip boiler