Team NRG

Patrick Phillips

Jacquelyn Pica

John Price

Dakota Skipper

Professional Writing

ENC 3250.794

University of South Florida, St.

Petersburg

Dr. Francis Tobienne, Jr.

November 18th, 2015

2

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ______________________________________________________ pg. 3

Introduction _____________________________________________________________ pg. 4

Why do we need to find energy alternatives? __________________________________ pg. 5

USFSPs Green Movement Goals____________________________________________ pg. 6

- Net Zero Energy Usage

- Carbon Neutrality

- Groups and Programs

Green Certified Buildings__________________________________________________ pg. 9

- LEED Gold Certification

- Green Building Features

Parking Garage Solar Panels _______________________________________________pg.10

- DUKE Energy Grant

- Storage Potential

Energy Sustaining Gym Equipment__________________________________________pg.11

- Net Zero Equipment

- Energy Generating Equipment

Conclusion______________________________________________________________pg.12

Annotated Bibliography___________________________________________________pg.12

Works Cited_____________________________________________________________pg.16

3

Executive Summary

Every day, we turn our televisions on, start our cars, talk on cell phones, and cook on

stoves or microwaves. The energy that powers these technologies originate from a variety of

sources, and while some are infinite and renewable, others are neither.

Unfortunately, most of our world currently runs on fossil-based fuels. Fossil-based fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) currently provide about 85% of all the energy use both in US and

worldwide (Your Guide to Renewable Energy).

These fossil based fuels, while necessary for modern life, are depleting at an alarming

rate. In order to combat this depletion, alternate energy sources must be researched, utilized,

and developed. Green energy alternatives are beginning to be used in everyday businesses;

universities, offices, and even homes. Although many people arent aware of the need for green energy development, we are going to have to depend on these renewable energies in the not so

distant future.

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Introduction

An increasing number of universities are picking up on this, and the University of South

Florida St. Petersburg is among those leading the pack. They have taken many steps in order to

establish themselves as a green and sustainable campus. The students and faculty are a driving

force in the local going-green community, and openly embrace technologies and process

changes that aid in the utilization of renewable resources in place of non-renewable

resources. The construction of the newer buildings for example, were not done without a

considerable amount of thought for the environment in their design and their post-construction

function.

The University Student Center at USF St. Petersburg

The university is also involved in the utilization and research of innovative solar

panels that leverage clean efficient energy from the sun; as well as the purchase of

earth-and-economic friendly gym equipment so that the students can exercise with a

green conscience. USF St. Petersburg consciously stands with the earth as it aims to

lower the need of these non-renewable resources.

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Why do we need to find energy alternatives?

Given that these resources are non-

renewable and finite, the duration of their utility is

limited. This duration is often characterized by so-called Reserves-to-Production ratio (R/P). In plain

language, R/P basically gives us the length of time

the reserves would last if their usage continue at the

current rate. (Your Guide to Renewable Energy).

Given that our population is increasing

daily, chances are that energy consumption will

increase as well. Life expectancy rate is increasing,

and chances are that the millennial generation will

outlive the supply of two of the main conventional

fossil fuels; oil and natural gas, according to the

statistics above. Once and awhile, new deposits of

these resources are discovered, but certainly not

enough to make a dent substantial enough to last

beyond a generation.

The table below compares the US average levelized electricity cost in dollars per kilowatt-hour

for both non-renewable and alternative fuels in new

power plants, based on US EIA statistics and

analysis from Annual Energy Outlook 2014.(Your Guide to Renewable Energy). One can gather from

this table that the aforementioned fossil-fuels are

the most economically efficient, which explains

their current attractiveness; but we cannot forget

that these resources have limited supply, and their

depletion is inevitable.

Something to keep in mind about these

statistics are that, once Oil and Natural Gas are

depleted, the worlds inhabitants will invariably need to gather their energy from somewhere in

order to continue living with todays (and tomorrows) luxuries. If we do not have other energy alternatives, the rate of coal consumption

will most certainly increase, thereby giving it a

much shorter lifetime. Given the statistics earlier,

coal consumed at the current rate is already only

expected to last just beyond two generations from

now. This increased consumption rate will

guarantee it.

The security of our future is dependent on

finding a way to better utilize other

resources. Fortunately, many communities are

making strides to leverage modern technology and

utilize those renewable resources that are infinite

and leave a net-zero carbon footprint. One such

community is USF St. Petersburg.

Source: (Your Guide to Renewable Energy)

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Net Zero Power Usage:

The Department of Energy has defined Net

Zero Energy buildings as An energy-efficient building where, on a source energy basis, the actual

annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the

on-site renewable exported energy. The concept of being Net Zero means that the electricity consumed and the electricity produced has a net of

zero; where energy consumption equals production,

or production is more than consumption. Net Zero

Energy focuses solely on electricity; specifically,

having a building that is able to balance its energy

needs with energy from renewable resources,

whether produced at that building or received from

renewable energy sources off-site.

The most important aspect of Net Zero

energy is being able to draw from renewable energy

sources, such as solar or wind power. As stated in

the definition, annual delivered energy, which must be less than or equal to the annual consumed

energy, is the defining factor in determining if a

building has achieved Net Zero Energy. Even if a

building doesnt produce enough energy that it needs in one day, as long as it is able to, within the

year, makeup for those shortcomings, it will still be

considered a Net Zero Energy building.

Net Zero Energy is different from alternate

energy efficiency approaches in two separate ways:

the baseline and target are zero, instead of a percentage improvement over prior performance,

and the energy you use must be supplied

from renewable energy. Most energy efficiency strategies strive to be 50% more energy efficient, or

80% more efficient by a certain year. With Net

Zero, the goal is to get that buildings annual non-renewable energy consumption to be zero. Net Zero

Energy buildings also should not use any energy

from the grid, as that would increase their

consumed power and therefore they would have to

produce much more energy in order to make up for

drawing upon this non-renewable resource. Net Zero Energy means that a building balances its

energy needs with energy produced from

renewable, zero-emission sources. While Net Zero

Energy buildings may seem cutting edge, they will

become status quo faster than you think (Net Zero Energy).

Source: sftool.gov

USFSPs Green Movement Goals

Given that energy alternatives need to be researched and utilized in order to provide for a

better future, USF St. Petersburg has pledged to achieve climate neutrality on campus by agreeing to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (Tinti 2015). In order to achieve this overall goal, USFSP has broken it down into two separate categories: net zero power

usage and carbon neutrality.

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Carbon Neutrality:

USF St. Petersburg has declared their

ultimate goal to be achieving a net zero carbon

footprint. David Vasquez, chairman of the CERCC,

shed light on this plan, and gave insight as to how

their goals will help not only our university, but also

our community. The members of the Clean Energy

and Resource Conservation Commission (CERCC)

are the brains behind most of the green energy

projects on campus. A few of the CERCCs goals are to intellectually and practically lead the sustainability movement at USFSP, and to

recommend investments to Student Government

that will most effectively reduce the Universitys carbon footprint (Sustainability). Ideally, Vasquez says "the goal is to get ALL of its energy sources by

technologies used on the campus, but if we can't

generate enough from our technologies, the plan is

to purchase energy credit from a remote source (a

set of solar panels across town, for example), to

offset the deficiency to meet that goal of 100%

carbon neutrality."

Non-renewable energy sources give off

carbon dioxide emissions when used, which

contributes to global warming and pollution. In

order to offset all of these carbon dioxide emissions,

one must either use solely green energy, or purchase

energy credits from an outside source in order to

make up for the carbon dioxide emitted from non-

renewable energy that was used. Carbon neutrality

doesnt simply focus on one building or area, but rather carbon emissions on a national and global

scale. When Vasquez says that they plan to

purchase energy credit from a remote source, this means that, if USFSP had to use carbon-emitting

energy, they would make up for it by purchasing

that same amount of energy from a renewable

energy source elsewhere. This shows how, as long

as the carbon emissions are being made up for from

a renewable energy source, one can still be

considered to be carbon neutral.

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Groups and Programs:

Each student at USF pays a fee of $1.00 per

credit hour, which goes towards the Student Green

Energy Fund (SGEF). The money in this fund aids

the University of South Florida in their going green

initiatives, including the purchase, experimentation,

and utilization of energy-sustaining

technologies. As sponsors of this fund, each student

has the ability to generate a proposal for a project

that will aid in USFSP's going green

movement. These proposals are given to the

student-run organization, SGEF, who then casts

votes to elect which proposal(s) to execute.

Given that this organization is the

gatekeeper of this fund, Patrick Phillips attended an

SGEF meeting, to get a feel of the organization's

current direction and ongoing plans. During the

October 27, 2015 meeting, their focus was on

marketing; or rather, how they should go about

raising awareness to students about their

responsibility to propose "going green"

projects. The current consensus is that the average

USFSP student does not know about the $1.00 per-

credit-hour fee; much less of their ability to propose

a project that utilizes the fund. Those present at the

meeting discussed ways to reach out to students to

bring attention to the latter point. Suggestions

ranged from utilizing multiple social media outlets,

to erecting a table in front of the campus, to visiting

various student organization meetings, and speaking

in front of classrooms of courses that would likely

warrant interest in the green movement. In their

approach to the professors of these courses, they're

going to inquire on the professor's interest in

offering extra credit to their students in exchange

for SGEF proposals.

Given a close relationship with many

professors who are already proactive in the going-

green movement, they have faith that this is

feasible.

Patrick arrived at the meeting early and

briefly took some time to chat with SGEF Chairman

David Vasquez. In this time, Patrick explained the

direction of our White Paper project, which is

focused on the energy-sustaining technologies that

USFSP currently has, and the technologies

that it plans on implementing in the future. Mr.

Vasquez explained that the ultimate goal of SGEF,

and CERCC is for the campus to become 100%

carbon neutral; meaning, all energy that it uses will

be generated from solar panels and other

technologies that utilize sustainable earth-friendly

resources.

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Green Building Certification:

USF St. Petersburgs Science and Technology building (STG) and University Student

Center (USC) have met the standards of the U.S.

Green Building Council (USGBC) through the

attainment of their Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design (LEED) gold

certification. The STG building proudly display

this seal of certification on window and plaques

throughout the buildings. The LEED plaque on a building is a mark of quality and achievement in

green building (LEED Certification).

USFSPs proud display of this plaque can certainly be validated; as LEED is the most recognized and widely used green building program

across the globe (U.S. Green Building

Council). While being certified by LEED on any

level is an accomplishment, LEEDs gold certification is the second highest rating level that a

building can obtain from the internally-recognized

organization.

Given this authority, a LEED certification

does not come easy. Buildings have to undergo

rigorous scrutiny during construction, and after

construction in order to make sure they are meeting

the industry-leading green standards that

accompany a LEED certification.

LEED certification provides independent verification of a building or neighborhoods green features, allowing for the design, construction,

operations and maintenance of resource-efficient,

high-performing, healthy, cost-effective

buildings(LEED Certification).

A buildings certification level is based on points accumulated, based on the following criterion:

Based on the number of points achieved, a project

earns one of four LEED rating levels: LEED

Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, or LEED

Platinum (LEED Certification). USFSPs STG and USC buildings had to score between 60-79 points,

based on the criterion listed above.

There are also plans for the Kate Tiedemann

College of Business (KTCOB) to join the ranks of

sustainable USFSP buildings, projected to also have

a LEED Gold Certification. While SGEF Chair

David Vasquez didnt yet have specific information about the LEED points for the KTCOB building, he

did comment on the planned glass walls of the upcoming building:

Having a lot of glass around the building opposed to walls will help with natural lighting instead of

using electricity, so it is a sustainable feature of the

building. Other buildings such as STG, and USC

have big windows for the same reason. (Vasquez)

USFSP Green Certified Buildings

One way that USFSP is a driving force in the utilization of renewable resources is in the construction of their

buildings. Given that buildings account for 38% of all CO2 Emissions in the US (U.S. Green Building

Council). Ensuring the execution of resource-efficient buildings is imperative to achieving the goal of being

environmentally conscious.

Source: LEED Certification

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The largest object of our solar system is also

the most abundant source of energy. The Sun is

continuously throwing 173,000 terawatts of energy

at the Earth (Pierce). This solar energy is entirely

renewable, and its abundance is consequently

unlimited. Being in the sunshine state, it only made

sense for USF St. Petersburg to make use of this

energy. With the help of Duke Energy, they are

able to leverage the energy from the sun in a new

and innovative way atop their parking garage.

Duke Energy Grant: Earlier this year, Duke Energy Florida

funded the install of a $1-million solar array atop

the USF St. Petersburg parking garage. While Duke

Energy is not new to funding Florida colleges with

solar panels, the panel installed atop USF St.

Petersburgs parking garage is the largest one to date (Boatwright).

Storage Potential: It is a 100-kilowatt system made up of an

impressive 318 solar panels, but its size is not the

only feature exclusive to USF. St. Petersburg. This

garage can continue utilizing the suns energy even in the suns absence. This is credited to a prototype battery on the ground floor of the parking garage

that is developed by Tesla Motors. These

innovative batteries absorb any excess energy

generated from the panels above, and keep up to

200-kilowatts on reserve to use in the suns absence. This way, in the event of a cloudy day,

or after the sun goes down, the parking garage can

still operate on

clean energy.

Parking Garage Solar Panels

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Students at USF St. Petersburg can even be

earth-conscious while they exercise. At the Student

Life Center, SGEF has installed gym equipment that

aids in the Universitys energy sustainability efforts. The upper floor of the fitness center

features ellipticals and stationary bikes that convert

human energy into electricity; as well as Net-Zero

treadmills.

From October 19, 2015 through October 30,

2015, SGEF hosted its annual "Race for the watts"

competition. In this competition, student

organizations compete for who can generate the

most watts or mileage on their green-standard

workout equipment. Patrick Phillips participated in

this event to get a personal experience of the

energy-sustaining gym equipment.

"I was curious how a treadmill could be operated

solely on your movement", said Patrick as he

thought back to his first impression of approaching

the energy-sustaining treadmill. "The machines are

curved towards the front, so that it utilizes your

weight and gravity to generate the inertia to get it

going, and your stride does the rest of the

work." While the treadmills do not generate any

energy, they do not require any other source of

energy to operate. Patrick spent 20 energy-free

minutes on the treadmill, which would have equated

to about 600 watts USED on a non-green treadmill.

Patrick also used the stationary bike, which

utilizes the energy expended during the workout to

generate energy, measured in watt-hours

(WH). Those watt-hours are sent to a generator

which can then be used to power other

electronics. At a flat rate with minimal resistance,

the bike generates roughly 1 WH per each hour. By

increasing the resistance, the bike generates more

watts-per-hour as a result of increased effort.

Throughout the competition, between the

bike and the treadmill, Patrick put in 100 miles on

the energy-sustaining equipment; generating a total

of 125 WH. To put this in perspective, 60 WH can

power a 60-watt light bulb for 1 hour. By simply

switching the gym equipment, the energy that

Patrick generated this week could power a 60-watt

light-bulb for over two hours.

The Curve treadmill is a net-zero treadmill, available for use by students in the USFSP Fitness Center.

Energy Sustaining Gym Equipment

The top contributors of this years Race for the Watts competition.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/USFSP.SGEF/

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Conclusion

Our research evidences that USF St. Petersburg has realized the importance of our

worlds discovery and utilization of renewable resources in place of non-renewable resources. The university continually acts on this realization through the adoption of

technologies into the day-to-day function of faculty and staff. Their alignment to the U.S.

Green Building Council, which led to their gold certified buildings has allowed them to

function with a green conscience in the present, as well as the future. Their collaboration

with Duke Energy with their innovative large-scale solar panels, in conjunction with the

Tesla battery reserve, could lead to research that points the world in a positive direction in

terms of economics as well as green initiatives. The net-zero treadmills, and energy-

generating ellipticals and stationary bikes could turn gyms into energy farms, if the world

follows in USF St. Petersburgs footsteps.

Annotated Bibliography

"2014 Renewable Energy Data Book." 2015. US Department of Energy. 1 November 2015.

.

This resource is a government website that has data about energy consumption. This report is an

annual report about energy consumption and was made in 2015 for the year 2014. It has data about

the energy consumption, broken down by traditional energy supplies and renewable energy. It gives

data about the yearly consumption and capacities of energy sources, growth in usage, and new

sources. The comparison data about renewable energy resources, their capacity, and their growth in

usage compared to other resources and the previous years will give us important background

information about solar energy and its growth.

Boatwright, Josh. "Duke Energy unveils solar power project at USF St. Pete." 20 May 2015. The St.

Petersburg Tribune. 9 November 2015. .

This is a news article about the Duke Energy solar panel project at USFSP. It gives an overview of

the project and talks about what the goals are for the project. This article helps us to understand the

capacity of the projects, what it can do for both our school and community, and a few important facts

that we can use when describing this project in our paper.

13

"Boston University offers pedal power to charge electronics." 31 March 2015. Boston Globe. 4 November

2015. .

This article has information about electricity producing bikes at Boston University. The technology

that is being used is the same as USFSP's gym equipment. It is an example of how other universities

are using the same technology that USFSP is currently utilizes. This article provides further insight

on this specific green technology and helps us to understand how it works, and how other colleges

besides ours are implementing it.

LEED. "This Is LEED." LEED | Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. U.S. Green Building

Council, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

This webpage describes what LEED is; the most widely used green building rating system in the

world. LEED certification focuses on assessing a building or neighborhoods green features with the

goal of benefitting people, planet, and profit. LEED certification is explained, as the article details all

of the nine areas that are judged when a building is attempting to become LEED certified. The article

also explains what the different levels of LEED certification are. Based on how many points the

building scores in the previously mentioned nine categories, they get a certain numerical score. This

numerical score determines if the building will be classified as LEED certified, LEED silver, LEED

gold, or LEED platinum. There are also some statistics about LEED certified buildings, and even non

certified buildings and how they differ from certified ones.

Pierce, Erin R. "Top 6 Things You Didn't Know About Solar Energy." 22 June 2012. Energy.gov. 30

October 2015. .

This article contains a few general facts about solar energy, which have important statistics about

solar energy. A few of the facts detail how much solar energy the Earth is struck by, how much

energy the world uses, how solar energy was first used, and also the increase in solar energy usage

within the last few years.

"Sustainability: LEED Certified Green Buildings." Sustainability. University of South Florida St. Petersburg,

n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

The sustainability section of the USFSP website contains information on the LEED certified green

buildings at USFSP. This source explains how the Science and Technology Building and the

University Student Center buildings are LEED Gold Certified. The page also lists the green features

of each buildings, including features such as energy efficiency, roof that reduces heat, and even that

the building materials were made of 20% recycled content. This page helps to show how USFSP

became a green campus, and the exact features of each building that make them green.

14

Sustainable Facilities. "Net Zero Energy." Sftool. GSA, n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

.

This article details what Net Zero Energy is, and also how it differs from other energy efficiency

approaches. We were having a little difficulty fully understand what this Net Zero Energy concept

was, and wanted to make sure that we could successfully explain what it is and how it works. This

brief, yet efficient, article really helped us comprehend this concept and hopefully our white paper

readers will be able to understand it as well.

"Tesla Battery Being Used In Duke Energy Florida & University of South Florida Solar Project." 29 May

2015. Clean Technica. 9 November 2015. .

This article gives information about the solar energy project, such as what it is and how it will help

with solar energy research. It is mainly about the storage technology being installed in the parking

garage. It has quotes from the president of Duke Energy Florida and the USFSP Regional Chancellor

on the matters of the partnership between USFSP and Duke Energy, and details all of the

technologies that the solar energy will be used for in the parking garage. This article also discusses

the Tesla powerpack storage units, what they are, and what their life span is.

Tinti, Emily. "Erasing The Campus Carbon Footprint." 21 September 2015. The Crowe's Nest. 7 November

2015. .

This article is about the Green Movement at USFSP. It has information about their ultimate goal of

achieving a net zero carbon footprint. It details their goal for climate neutrality, and the minor goals they have created in order to help them achieve this. It introduces David Vasquez, the Secretary

of Sustainable Initiatives, Chair of the CERCC, and Chair of the SGEFC. Vasquez details their

specific plans for the Green Movement at USFSP, specifically the Food Forest they plan to install behind Residence Hall One.

USFSP. "CERCC." Usfsp.edu. USFSP, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

.

This source is a brief description of the Clean Energy and Resource Conservation Commission, or the

CERCC. The CERCC is a group that is very pertinent to the green movement at USFSP, and this

article explains some of their goals and accomplishments. We used this source so we could explain

the CERCCs goals in our paper, and therefore inform the reader of their influence on the USFSP green movement. We also needed this information to provide background information on who our

group interviewed; David Vasquez, who is the chairman of the CERCC.

15

U.S. Green Building Council. "About USGBC." USGBC. U.S. Green Building Council, n.d. Web. 08 Nov.

2015. .

This online source contains a description of the U.S. Green Building Council, which is the company

responsible for LEED certifications. It details what exactly LEED is, and provides some statistics on

LEED Certified buildings, such as how many square feet are certified worldwide each day. It also

explains the credentials one must meet in order to be considered for a LEED certification. The U.S.

Green Building Councils mission statement is also included on this page, as well as the companys vision.

Vasquez, David, Personal Interview. 27, October.

David Vasquez was very excited at our expressed interest in the going green movement at USF St.

Petersburg. He explained how the student organization, Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF), is

responsible for selecting from a list of student proposals concerning going-green initiatives;

including the purchase, experimentation, and utilization of energy-sustaining technologies. These

initiatives are funded by the $1.00-per-credit-hur fee that each USF Student pays upon enrolling in a

course. Mr. Vasquez provided the information on the USFSP Sustainability website, as well as

designed it. He was able to leverage his knowledge gained as a chair of SGEF and CERCC (Clean

Energy and Resource Conservation Commission), to shed some light on the energy-sustaining

technologies researched, and provided a clarified definition of the universitys goal of becoming carbon neutral.

"Your Guide to Renewable Energy." 2015. Renewable Energy Sources.com. 1 November

2015. .

This website details the different types of renewable energy sources, advantages and disadvantages

of them, and also some data. There is a cost comparison of energy sources chart that lists the prices

in kiloWatts per hour for each different type of energy, both renewable and nonrenewable. The

article provides a realistic goal for where we should be with non-renewable energy in the near future,

and gives us the proper data to help analyze those decisions.

16

Works Cited

"2014 Renewable Energy Data Book." 2015. US Department of Energy. 1 November 2015.

.

Boatwright, Josh. "Duke Energy unveils solar power project at USF St. Pete." 20 May 2015. The St.

Petersburg Tribune. 9 November 2015. .

"Boston University offers pedal power to charge electronics." 31 March 2015. Boston Globe. 4 November

2015. .

LEED. "This Is LEED." LEED | Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. U.S. Green Building

Council, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

Pierce, Erin R. "Top 6 Things You Didn't Know About Solar Energy." 22 June 2012. Energy.gov. 30

October 2015. .

"Sustainability: LEED Certified Green Buildings." Sustainability. University of South Florida St. Petersburg,

n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. .

Sustainable Facilities. "Net Zero Energy." Sftool. GSA, n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

.

"Tesla Battery Being Used In Duke Energy Florida & University of South Florida Solar Project." 29 May

2015. Clean Technica. 9 November 2015. .

Tinti, Emily. "Erasing The Campus Carbon Footprint." 21 September 2015. The Crowe's Nest. 7 November

2015. .

USFSP. "CERCC." Usfsp.edu. USFSP, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.

.

U.S. Green Building Council. "About USGBC." USGBC. U.S. Green Building Council, n.d. Web. 08 Nov.

2015. .

"Your Guide to Renewable Energy." 2015. Renewable Energy Sources.com. 1 November

2015. .