Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
College of Engineering & Facilities
Sustainable Energy and Infrastructure
Initiative
Presented to the California Higher Education Sustainability Conference
June 17th, 2014
Dennis K. Elliot, PE, CEM
Assistant Director, Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
What is the Sustainable Energy and Infrastructure Initiative?
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13/14 CENG Strategic Framework and Focusing Initiatives
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SEI Purpose and goals
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Identify and engage stakeholders
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Find opportunities for collaboration, synergy, and leverage
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Assess curriculum, research, and projects
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Articulate SEI vision, structure, story, including advancement opportunities
Stakeholders
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Department heads and chairs, Directors of Centers and Institutes
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Faculty, students, administrators, advancement staff, corporate partners
AFD/Facilities role
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Campus as Living Lab
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Upcoming on-site generation PPA’s
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Facilities PV grant program
Visioning Workshop – May 17, 2014
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
What is Sustainability?
UN World Commission:
“The ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their needs.”
Cal Poly Academic Senate:
“The ability of natural and social systems to survive and thrive together to
meet current and future needs.”
Triple Bottom Line Concept
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Talloires Declaration (Cal Poly signatory in 2004)
A 10 point action plan to incorporate sustainability and environmental
literacy in teaching, research, operations, and outreach at colleges and
Universities:
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Increase awareness of environmentally sustainable development
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Create an institutional culture of sustainability
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Educate for environmentally responsible citizenship
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Foster environmental literacy for all
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Practice institutional ecology
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Involve all stakeholders
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Collaborate for interdisciplinary approaches
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Enhance capacity of primary and secondary schools
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Broaden service and outreach nationally and internationally
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Maintain the movement
http://suscat.calpoly.edu/talloires/
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Cal Poly Sustainability Learning Objectives (SLO’s)
Cal Poly Academic Senate – Resolution 688-09 (2009):
“In order to consider sustainability when making reasoned decisions, all
graduating students should be able to:
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Define and apply sustainability principles within their academic programs
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Explain how natural, economic, and social systems interact to foster or
prevent sustainability
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Analyze and explain local, national, and global sustainability using a
multidisciplinary approach
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Consider sustainability principles while developing personal and professional
values”
http://www.academicprograms.calpoly.edu/academicpolicies/sustainability_lo.html
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
CSU Sustainability Policy
Major revision to policy since last CSU Executive Order 987 (2006)
Academics: “The CSU will seek to further integrate sustainability into the
academic curriculum working within the normal campus consultative
process.”
Operations: “The CSU will pursue sustainable practices in all areas of
the university, including business operations such as procurement, IT,
student services, food service, facilities operations, design and
construction… and self funded auxiliaries.”
Policy approved by CSU Board of Trustees May 2014
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Cal Poly Vision 2022, President Armstrong:
$500M Fundraising Campaign
Focus on Public-Private Partnerships
“Enhance sustainability efforts and attitudes, eliminate
redundancies, create greater efficiencies and entrepreneurial
activities.”
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Academic Senate Sustainability Committee:
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Formalize SUSCAT (SUStainability course CATalog)
Senate resolution on sustainability course assessment
Working toward a graduation requirement
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Workshop session #1a – Student Perspective:
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How do students look at and value sustainability?
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Where do students learn about sustainability at Cal Poly?
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Personal life and values
In education
In career
In classes? Major or GE
Projects
Club activities and work experience
How can educational experience be improved?
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Infuse into existing courses
Create new courses
Extracurricular activities
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Workshop session #1b – Corporate Perspective:
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Is sustainability part of corporate values?
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What do employers want to see in new hires?
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Public image/relations
Bottom line
Business focus
Skills and knowledge
Project experience - is interdisciplinary important?
Club activities or work experience
How can educational experience be improved?
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Workshop session #2 – Current Areas of Activity and
Interest:
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Energy Efficiency
Power Generation
Sustainable Transportation
Water/Energy Nexus
Waste Reduction/Sustainable Materials
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Area of Interest – Energy Efficiency
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Energy Efficiency/DSM in the Built Environment (40% of all energy use)
• HVAC, lighting, and plug load
• District heating and cooling
• Building automation systems and data analytics
• Path to Zero Net Energy buildings by 2020/2030
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Energy Efficiency in Industry and Manufacturing
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Resource and material efficiency
Life cycle design
Green Computing
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Desktop, server, and device power requirements
Performance optimization
Data Centers
Majors: ME, EE, CE, ENVE, IME, AERO, BMED, GEN, MATE, CPE, CSC, ARCH, CRP, CM, BRAE, AGB, NRM&ES, BUS, ECON, POLS
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Area of Interest – Power Generation
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Renewable Energy
• Solar PV, Solar Thermal, Wind, Biomass, Wave, Energy Storage
• Cogeneration, fuel cell, gas turbine
• Biofuels
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Conventional Power Generation
• Gas, oil, coal, hydro, and nuclear
• Next generation designs, safety and carbon management
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Smart Grid – Micro Grid
• System integration and interoperability
• Cyber security
• Big Data and analytics
Majors: ME, EE, CE, ENVE, IME, AERO, GEN, MATE, CPE, CSC, ARCH, CRP, CM, BRAE, AGB, NRM&ES, BUS, ECON, POLS
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Area of Interest – Sustainable Transportation
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Advanced Vehicle Design
• EV, hybrid, alternative fuels
• Fuel efficiency and emissions
• Charging/fueling infrastructure
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Mass Transit
• Advanced aircraft and spacecraft design
• Electrification and alternative fuels
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Transportation Planning
• Community planning
• Highway planning
• Airport design
• Mass transit
Majors: ME, EE, CENVE, AERO, GEN, MATE, CPE, CSC, ARCH, CRP, CM, BRAE, AGB, NRM&ES, BUS, ECON, POLS
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Area of Interest – Energy/Water Nexus (20% of all energy in Ca)
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Water Infrastructure
• Collection, storage, and delivery
• Treatment and purification
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Waste Water Treatment/Biofuels
• Treatment, reclamation, and reuse
• Algae and biofuels
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Water Efficiency
• Irrigation systems – landscape, recreation, and agriculture
• In Power Generation (2nd largest user)
• In manufacturing
• In the built environment
Majors: ME, EE, CENVE, IME, GEN, MATE, ARCH, CRP, CM, BRAE, AGB, NRM&ES, BUS, ECON, POLS
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Area of Interest – Waste Reduction/Sustainable Materials
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Material Selection and Design for Manufacturing and Construction
• Material life cycle design – “cradle to cradle”
• Rapidly renewable and recycled/recyclable materials
• High performance materials
• Concrete design (produces 6-8% of global CO2, fly ash issue)
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Waste Reduction
• Design for reuse and recyclability
• Integrated product design
• Packaging design
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Waste Management
• Recycling and landfill optimization
• Waste as an alternate fuel
Majors: ME, EE, CE, ENVE, IME, AERO, BMED, GEN, MATE, CPE, ARCH, CRP, CM, BRAE, AGB, NRM&ES, BUS, ECON, POLS
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Workshop session #3 – Findings on Curriculum, Research,
and Projects:
Common themes – challenges and aspirations:
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We often don’t teach sustainability explicitly, but discuss elements
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Faculty are interested, but are busy teaching fundamentals of
discipline/technology
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Widespread interest in more interdisciplinary opportunities
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Many current interdisciplinary projects tell a compelling sustainability
story, but are not marketed that way
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Structure desired for better connection, communication, and visibility
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Not sure how to integrate sustainability into existing curriculum
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Difficulty articulating “social equity” in engineering programs
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Coverage of professional ethics needs improvement
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Workshop session #3 – Visioning Exercise:
Define the future of SEI for the College
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Should focus be broad/holistic or narrow/targeted?
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Curriculum recommendations
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How do we address course assessment and graduation requirement?
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Majors, minors, or certificate?
Organizational structure
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Centers and Institutes
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Committee or task force
Advancement opportunities
New Name?
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Findings
Student perspectives:
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Learned primarily at home and in family – environmental awareness
Changing culture/lifestyle and social media
Desire for meaningful job/career
Integral part of Architecture, not articulated in most Engineering coursework
Lots of clubs/projects to choose from, but found by accident
No cross disciplinary look at sustainability or climate change for engineers
Sustainability = good engineering
Coursework is too highly structured
Would like to see sustainability in GE, and renewable energy integrated into
required engineering courses
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Findings
Employer perspectives:
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Sustainability IS part of corporate culture:
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Seeking students with excellent work habits, perseverance, ability to learn/adapt
Students are technically strong, but there is a scarcity of:
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Bottom line issue – control cost, enhance revenue
Corporate image, transparency, and public relations
It is a company goal because it is a customer goal
Maturity and holistic/human development
Global awareness
Professional polish and communication skills
Ability to make a business case
Recommendations:
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Need more focus on soft skills like writing, public speaking
More group projects that include developing and presenting a business or project plan/model –
i.e. Shark Tank
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Findings
Workshop recommendations:
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Five areas of focus are appropriate
Start narrow, become broad
Prioritize areas 1 &2 (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy), then add
Increase focus on whole systems thinking
Broad sustainability discussions belong in GE (but engineers don’t take Area F)
Continue with course assessment, establish graduation requirement
No new Sustainability Minor needed in CENG, already have:
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Sustainable Agriculture (CAFES)
Sustainable Environments (home in CAED, but open to all)
Environmental Studies (home in COSAM, but open to all)
Leverage existing Centers and Institutes
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Findings
Workshop brainstorming ideas:
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Fund faculty to collaborate with club projects (VP committed $15K pilot funding)
Use campus as a test bed for renewable energy testing
Build a campus microgrid
Use solar panels for EV charging
Initiative Names – DEMISE, SEE or SE^2
Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure
Contact info and references:
Dennis Elliot – Assistant Director, Energy, Utilities and Sustainability - delliot@calpoly.edu
Cal Poly University Sustainability Website – www.sustainability.calpoly.edu
Cal Poly College of Engineering - http://ceng.calpoly.edu/
Centers and Institutes - http://research.calpoly.edu/centerslist.html
Best Practice Awards and Building/Project Case Studies - http://afd.calpoly.edu/sustainability/awards.asp
Cal Poly PowerSave Campus – powersavecampus@calpoly.edu
Cal Poly PowerSave Campus Website – www.powersavecampus.calpoly.edu
Cal Poly PowerSave Campus Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/CalPolyGreenCampus
Polly the Polar Bear Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/PollyThePolarBear
Mr. Eco Website – www.mrecomusic.com
Biennial Sustainability Progress Report –
http://afd.calpoly.edu/sustainability/docs/Metrics/2014_SustainabilityReport.pdf