Patrick Martin S1 RPI’s IPR
10/30/12
Airticle Annotations
Arguments and Sub Arguments:
Deborah Halber, the author of the article “Aiming at Campus Energy Savings, Hitting the
targets” writes an informative piece on MIT’s Energy Initiative, a subset of the popular
engineering school dedicated to the conservation of energy. Calling MIT’s program the “most
aggressive efficiency project to date”, Halber describes how the Energy Initiative has both
impacted and challenged the school. She argues that the program has saved MIT millions of
dollars in what would otherwise be wasted money, and has had a sizeable impact on MIT’s
greenhouse gas emissions. She also notes that the school received several large donations for
its efforts. In addition to this, Halber also notes a key problem with MIT’s efficiency plan. MIT’s
Energy Efficiency program is chiefly cost oriented, and thus buys electricity from the grid when
it becomes more expensive to generate its own electricity than to purchase it (Halber). This
issue, Halber argues, is one that all efficiency programs must face.
Two Quotes:
● “The cogeneration facility provides 21 megawatts of electricity plus heating and
cooling to meet about 75% of campus energy needs. For the remaining 25%, MIT buys
electricity from NSTAR. But with energy prices constantly fluctuating, it can be difficult to figure
out when it’s more cost-effective for MIT to buy electricity from the grid or to produce its own.”
(Halber)
● “But there is a huge variation in electricity prices. A megawatt-hour could cost $300,
$30, or $5, depending on demand and time of day or night. The ICETEC software tells us when
to produce more or less, whether it’s cheaper to make chilled water for air conditioning using
steam or electricity.” (Halber)
Evidence:
● “The MIT Efficiency Forward program aims to save up to $50 million in energy costs
over a period of 10 years. Upgrades to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC),
electrical systems, and lighting are expected to set the stage for the long-term savings by
cutting electrical use by 15% over the next three years.” (Halber)
● “With a $1 million gift from Jeffrey Silverman ’68 in April 2009, the Institute
established the Silverman Evergreen Energy Fund to support campus energy and efficiency
projects that have rapid paybacks. David Desjardins ’83, a consultant and investor who is also
passionate about campus energy issues, has since donated an additional $500,000 to the
effort.”
● MIT’s goal over the next three years is to conserve 34 million kilowatt-hours (kWh)—
the equivalent electrical use of 4,500 Massachusetts homes in a year. MIT’s current average
electricity consumption is around 18 million kWh per month.
Relation to Project:
MIT’s Energy Initiative is similar in scope to the proposed Initiation for Power Reduction.
Analyzing its applications, successes, and failures can only make RPI’s program stronger in the
short term. In addition, seeing how MIT has applied its program over the years, RPI can better
develop a long term plan for reducing its energy use. MIT also has a similar engineering
student-faculty base, allowing for interesting comparisons to be made between it and RPI.
Information for Project:
● “Several factors made MIT an especially promising partner for NSTAR, according to
Lanou. Among those factors are a newly established revolving fund for campus energy and
efficiency projects; a set of pilot projects established last year; and a disciplined, long-term
energy management program with a robust measurement and verification component for
energy savings.”
● According to Steven M. Lanou, MIT’s deputy director for environmental sustainability,
lighting retrofits are expected to contribute about half the savings and new construction
features about 20%. Improvements to HVAC and cooling and compressed air systems—as well
as behavior change measures—are expected to round out the balance. The company will work
with MIT to conduct HVAC, electrical, and lab systems improvements, and lighting fixture and
control upgrades, in addition to other steps.
● In addition, the Silverman fund allocated $430,000 to recalibrate and improve the
efficiency of the nearly 200 fume hoods in the Dreyfus Chemistry Building (Building 18). Fume
hoods are energy-intensive ventilation devices that protect researchers from chemical fumes.
They work well at lower flow volumes, saving about $160,000 annually.
Citation
Halber, Deborah. "MIT Energy Initiative: Aiming at Campus Energy Savings, Hitting the Targets."
MIT Energy Iniative. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 5 Jan. 2011. Web. 29 Oct.
2012.