NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release:
November 5, 2014
For further information contact:
Ryan Brown
Phone: 541-552-6186 | Cell: 541-591-3352
brownr2@sou.edu
SOU to Host Forum on Biomass Cogeneration Conversion
Wednesday, Nov. 12, 6 p.m.
SOU Ashland Campus
Stevenson Union, Rogue River Room
(Ashland, Ore.) — As part of an ongoing effort to become 100 percent carbon neutral by 2050, Southern Oregon
University is considering replacing its existing natural gas-fired steam boilers with a biomass cogeneration facility that
would provide the University’s main campus with heat while producing electricity that could be sold back into the power
grid. A biomass cogeneration system would be more economical than maintaining the current system, would reduce
reliance on fossil fuels, and would make a significant step toward SOU’s carbon emission reduction targets.
Two of the University’s four existing boilers are reaching the end of their useful life. SOU commissioned a series of
studies to explore options to meet the increasing demand for campus heating. The reports found that a biomass
cogeneration facility would have a range of environmental, social, and economic benefits.
Biomass fuel is a renewable resource that typically comes from forestry byproducts. Creating a use for this material
reduces waste, improves forest health and emits far less carbon than would otherwise come from burning slash piles,
prescribed burning, or wildfires. Biomass fuel is also cheaper than natural gas, resulting in lower operating costs. Because
state and federal agencies are interested in the use of biomass as an alternative fuel source, it is likely that grant funds may
be available to help offset the capital construction costs.
If the biomass cogeneration option does not move forward, the two outdated gas-fired boilers will be replaced in the next
several years by a natural gas fired cogeneration facility. The University wants to hear from the community before making
a decision on whether biomass cogeneration is right for SOU. Please join us at a community meeting on November 12 at 6
p.m. in the Rogue River Room inside Stevenson Union on SOU’s main campus. Visit the project website for more
information: www.SOUcogeneration.org.
-SOUAbout Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University provides outstanding student experiences, valued degrees, and successful graduates. SOU is
known for excellence in faculty, intellectual creativity and rigor, quality and innovation in connected learning programs,
and the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the
first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the
nation to balance 100% of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.