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Energy



 

 

 


 

Solar and Yurts 
Solar panels at the College Farm
 

  • Purchasing and Production - Where does our energy come from?
     
  • Policies
     

Purchasing and Production

Energy Supply
100% of the College’s electricity consumption and associated CO2e emissions will be offset with wind power starting in September 2009.  The college has been 50% wind since 2007. The college currently obtains most of its electricity from PPL Utilities Inc. The fuel mix  is primarily fossil fuels (coal and natural gas) and nuclear energy with smaller portions coming from hydroelectric and other renewable sources. To learn more about energy sources in Pennsylvania, visit the Environmental Protection Agency's "Power Profiler." Use zipcode 17013.  >>LEARN MORE 
 
Facilities recently installed a state-of-the-art, high-efficiency central energy plant to supply steam and chilled water to campus ($5.6 million) and continues to add hybrid vehicles to the college’s fleet.  Using energy efficiency building-monitoring, staff check the status of energy consumption in buildings across campus around the clock, and make changes to building temperature and energy access as needed to improve efficiency.  Students, faculty, and staff can directly access information about the energy consumption of the campus by a central visualization system in the Holland Union Building.

Dickinson College has installed 70 kW of photovoltaic arrays on our campus and at the College Farm, and has purchased 18 million kWh worth of Wind RECs from Wind Current. This means 100% of Dickinson College's energy needs are offset by wind resources.  A 400W, grid-tied wind turbine on top of Tome Hall monitors potential wind-energy production for research and educational purposes, and other research is currently being conducted on the feasibility of wind power at the College Farm.

Energy Grants Received by Dickinson College
 

  •  2006-2007 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection – Energy Harvest Grant Program. $250,000. (Ken Shultes & Becki Walker/Facilities Management) “Rooftop Solar Panel Array at Dickinson College.” This grant will provide $250,000 for a project to construct a 60.28 kilowatt array of photovoltaic cells on the roof of the Facilities Management building at 5 North Orange Street in Carlisle. The goals of this project are: 1) to reduce pollution and improve the college's environmental “footprint” on our local air and watersheds; 2) to provide an academic resource for the college and local community; 3) to create another example of college leadership in the area of community involvement, societal responsibility, and citizen leadership; 4) to provide an independent source of electricity for the college which will reap future financial benefits; and 5) to improve Pennsylvania's economy by providing work for local contractors and consultants. The project is expected to decrease Dickinson's reliance on fossil fuels by approximately 13 percent and to improve the health of the surrounding air and watersheds.
  • 2007 Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development – Keystone Innovation Zone Initiative. $10,000. (Jennifer Halpin, Matt Steiman, College Farm). “Using Solar Energy for Greenhouse Heating on a Pennsylvania Produce Farm.” This proof of concept study will test the use of conventional solar water heating equipment for provision of radiant in-floor heating of a greenhouse at the Dickinson College Organic Farm in Boiling Springs, Pa. Supplemental heat is essential for year-round production of crops in temperate climates. While greenhouses are most commonly heated with gas-fired forced air systems, research at Rutgers University has shown that heating the root zone via in-floor radiant heat is significantly more energy efficient and provides benefits for disease management as well. Solar heating with flat-plate collectors is a proven technology that is widely practiced in residential and commercial buildings, resulting in significant energy and cost savings. Use of solar heated water to warm the root zone in greenhouses is as of yet an uncommon practice that may significantly reduce fossil energy inputs to the agricultural system. This project will test the efficacy of solar heated greenhouses in terms of energy efficiency, energy savings, and overall thermal performance. Solar Tech of PA, a new small business located in Camp Hill, Pa., will consult on design and installation of the system. The Dickinson College Organic Farm will promote this innovative use of solar technology in hopes of generating business for Solar Tech of PA.
  • 2007 Mesa Energy, LLC Energy Farmers™ Program. $20,000. (Jennifer Halpin, College Farm). This funding will support the installation of a solar electric system for the barn.
  • 2008 Sustainable Energy Fund – 2008 Solar Scholars™ Program. $15,000. (Ken Shultes, Facilities Management). These funds will enable a purchase of a 3.2 kilowatt photovoltaic solar array that will be installed on the roof of the Center for Sustainable Living. Consistent with Dickinson’s institutional commitment to sustainability, this project will further reduce the College’s use of non-renewable fossil fuels. Students and staff from Facilities Management (including the Sustainability Coordinator) will assist with the installation, monitoring, and maintenance for the project. The project will also have an academic component where the solar array will be integrated into various courses (Neil Leary, Director of the Center for Sustainability Education will be overseeing this integration while Professors Michael Heiman and Hans Pfister have already expressed interest in integrating study of the solar array in their courses). In addition, community outreach activities will be held to educate the campus and community about the solar array. There is a $6,000 matching fund requirement associated with this program, which will be covered by Facilities Management (in addition to any further funding needed for project completion – including maintenance and repair).

Heat and Fuel
The biodiesel shop on campus produces fuel which is mixed with traditional heating oil for use in many buildings on campus during winter months. In warmer months, the biodiesel is used in many diesel college vehicles and farm equipment. At the College Farm, a greenhouse has been erected which includes a root heating system for use in the winter; this system is powered primarily with solar thermal panels with a biodiesel-powered back-up generator.
 
Offsets
Dickinson College purchases 18,000,000 kWh of wind power through Wind Current, annually.  This offsets 100% of the college's electricity needs.
 

Energy Star Appliances
For College-owned appliances, Dickinson purchases only appliances and electronics that meet Energy Star standards.  As older appliances are retired and replaced, new appliances are replaced with those Energy Star-rated.  Additionally, as the college implements our climate change action plan under the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), we are examining ways in which we can encourage or require that the appliances and electronics that students bring to campus are Energy Star rated or some other equivalent rating.
 

 

Policies

Lighting
Approximately 99% of the indoor lighting fixtures at Dickinson College use fluorescent lighting, either compact fluorescent (CFL) or standard fluorescent. In hallways, classrooms, and offices, the College has installed standard fluorescent lighting fixtures. In all other areas that have college owned fixtures that are not dimmable, the college has replaced incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent. The limited places where incandescent bulbs are still being used are where dimmable lighting is needed or in some fixtures that are the personal property of employees or students. We are actively searching for an alternative to incandescent for dimmable applications. A trade-in program is in place for students to exchange their incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs. A similar program will be initiated for employees in the coming academic year. The College is also looking for alternatives for our outdoor fixtures. In 2009 Dickinson tested outdoor LED light fixtures, and installed solar panels to power the outdoor pathway lights as test pilots. The College also uses motion-detection lighting in the HUB, Bosler Hall, East College, Tome Hall, Denny Hall, Facilities Management, and the Rector Science Complex.
 
Temperature
The college has adopted a temperature policy which creates a sustainable medium for both the heating and cooling season.  During the heating season, buildings are kept at 68 degrees, and during the cooling season, 74 degrees.  A two degree variation is allowable, and non-occupied facilities are kept at respectively higher and lower temperatures to minimize unecessary heating and cooling.
 

Conservation Campaign
The College has a sticker campaign to reduce energy use by students, faculty, and staff. Currently there are “Turn Me Off” stickers next to all appropriate light switches in bathrooms, classrooms, residence halls, etc. To help students and employees make informed decisions about their energy use, the sticker campaign will be expanded to provide information on switches and appliances citing how much energy is used and how much carbon emissions are associated with the use of the switch or appliance per hour. Dickinson uses several automatic sleep, shut-down, and energy-saving measures across the campus to ensure computers are turned off when not in use.  The College is installing interactive information kiosks from GreenTouchScreen on campus that showcase and provide information regarding real time utility (energy) usage information for the Rector Science Complex.