Southern New Hampshire University Carbon Strategy
Southern New Hampshire University's carbon offset and zero carbon campus
strategy has two basic elements.
1. Control University energy costs, support building renewable resource
infrastructure, and offset carbon emissions through contract relationships with
renewable resource projects off campus;
2. Use available renewables on campus overtime to become a net zero carbon
campus for on campus operations and minimize and offset off campus carbon.
Accomplishments to end 2010:
1. Control energy costs, support building renewable infrastructure, and offset
carbon emissions through offsite renewables
SNHU has negotiated a 15 year renewable energy hedge based on the output of 6.2
megawatts capacity at a strike price of $76 per megawatt hour at the Iberdrola
owned Maple Ridge wind Farm in New York State. The expected average annual
output of the 6.2 megawatts energy of wind is 17,500 megawatt hours of electric
power sold into the New York grid. This hedge was sized to effectively maintain net
SNHU annual energy budget at approximately $2.5 million per year for 15 years. The
hedge also includes RECs for the power generated from renewable facilities (that
has included Maple Ridge) provided annually by Iberdrola to offset SNHU carbon
emissions from our consumption of electricity and natural gas.
Thus University has made a major financial commitment to the renewable
developer at a reasonable price of $76 per megawatt hour that caps University
energy budget for electricity and natural gas for fifteen years, through mid- 2021. If
average energy prices rise above $76 per megawatt hour for the power sold, SNHU
will receive monthly payments from Iberdrola. If average energy prices fall below
$76 per megawatt hour, SNHU makes a monthly payment to Iberdrola.
Since inception in mid-2007, the hedge has performed as modeled. As the price of
natural gas rises and falls in the NY and NH market, the price of electricity rises and
falls since natural gas is the fuel on the margin that determines hourly spot
electricity prices. The prolonged recession starting in 2008 combined with
increasing natural gas supplies, from ecologically questionable fracking of rock to
extract coal bed methane, has led to declining natural gas and electricity prices and
substantial payments by SNHU to meet its obligations. The direction of these
payments clearly can reverse, and stop SNHU costs from rising above $2.5 million,
as the economy recovers and natural gas is increasingly used as a lower carbon fuel
to replace coal and oil.
A renewable hedge is thus far more than a means to purchase RECs for offsets. It is
primarily a means to control long-term energy costs for budget planning at a
reasonable level, support the building of the renewable infrastructure by providing
facilities with an assured long-term income stream that is crucial for financing; and
include RECs for carbon offsets.
The renewable hedge establishes a 15 year time frame to use on campus renewables
to create a net zero carbon campus.
2. Use available renewables on campus overtime to become a net zero carbon
campus for on campus operations and minimize and offset off campus carbon.
We are pursuing a number of initiatives:
A. The SNHU Office for Sustainability has undertaken a project to characterize the
heating and cooling capacity of a shallow aquifer on University owned land adjacent
to the Merrimack River. We have drilled shallow test wells that indicate substantial
water flows. Pentti Aalto of the Office for Sustainability has designed an innovative
means to characterize field seasonal heating-cooling capacity. Using a system based
on a pool water heater and using flexible PV panel for power we are heating water
and pumping it into a test well and measuring temperature changes that provide
data for characterizing the field. Low temperature change from heating indicate
substantial flow of water through field and therefore higher seasonal capacity.
Initial results look very positive and we will finish field characterization in Spring
2011 and move into a desgn stage. Using heat pumps we anticipate being able to
heat-cool a number of campus buildings from the field.
B. We are investigating using natural refrigerants such as water vapor and carbon
dioxide for heat pumping. We are considering using water vapor as heat pump
refrigerant for shallow aquifer heating/cooling on University land near Merrimack
River. We can raise water temperature to 100 degree fahrenheit range for first stage
heating and pipe this water to existing buildings for terminal heat pumping. We are
investigating using carbon dioxide particularly where it offers higher efficiency in
higher temperature water heating applications.
C. The SNHU Office of Sustainability worked on the design process of new campus
Dining Center and New Academic building to reduce energy consumption and bring
the design up to the equivalent of LEED green building certification standards. The
building designs include lower temperature heating system operation and the
installation of piping between the two buildings to facilitate the use of a
cogeneration unit in the Dining Commons to serve both. The installation of the
cogeneration unit is being considered for 2011.
D. We have undertaken a partnership with United Technologies to explore and
develop campus conservation and renewable opportunities. An initial proposal for a
2 megawatt biomass campus central heating and electricity generation plant has
been deferred due to high costs that are related to campus bedrock that prevents
economic installation of a central plant. We are currently in the process of
evaluating proposed alternatives for a first phase of renewable use and improved
efficiency relying on the installation of a number of decentralized cogeneration units
to serve a number of campus buildings; conversion of two dorms to wood heat; use
of campus automation system for improved efficiency; LED conversion of campus
exterior lighting; solar hot water installation on Athletic center for pool heating; PV
installation on new campus operation center. We look forward to moving forward
in 2011.