With America's growing dependence on foreign sources of oil and the recent increase in fuel costs, large energy consumers such as the University are looking to minimize their energy consumption and utilize other, more environmentally friendly, sources of power.
The recent fall elections ballot at the University included a referendum asking students if they would be willing to pay an extra $7 a semester to have the University purchase approximately 12 percent of its total energy usage, 33 kilowatt hours, in the form of wind power, as opposed to currently used sources of fossil fuel and nuclear energy.
Though only ten percent of students participated in the election, an overwhelming 87 percent of students who did vote approved the referendum, which the initiative's creators view as a clear sign that students are in support of their mission to bring clean, renewable energy to the University.
A true windfall?
The referendum appeared on the ballot largely due to the efforts of two environmentally focused student groups: Student Environment Action (SEA) and Student Alliance for Virginia's Environment (SAVE).
"We got the idea for the referendum by learning about other schools' projects and how successful they were in making a substantial environmental impact," SEA President Khalial Wibhen said.
According to SAVE President Elizabeth Dubovsky, if the administration agrees to the ballot-approved plan, the $7 per student would be used to buy wind energy credits from different wind farms dispersed around the United States.
These certificates would subsidize the cost that it takes the wind farms to put wind energy on the grid, Dubovsky said, and in exchange the University would get a contract that guarantees that a certain amount of energy will be "earmarked" for the University and then added to the grid.
Because there are no turbines near the University, the system of buying credits is the only way to guarantee that the 12 percent of energy it uses is replaced on the grid by wind energy, Dubovsky said.
By buying such credits, the University would be increasing the demand for wind energy, in turn increasing the supply of wind energy and, more generally, increasing the general use of clean, renewable energy, she said.
The biggest problem with integrating wind energy into the existing power grid, according to University Environmental Science Prof. Linda Blum, is that it is hard to tell what portion of the total energy is actually being generated by wind power.
In addition, Blum said there are not very many areas of the country that have windy enough areas to sustain turbines, hence why there are no turbines near Charlottesville.
The referendum passing among the students does not guarantee any administration support for the purchase of renewable energy credits. Dubovsky said the next step is to gain faculty support and then make a presentation to the Board of Visitors to rally support from the administration and eventually solidify the purchase of wind credits.
"Where we are now is encouraged by the student response in the election," she said. "I think it is important for the University to take an initiative on the type of energy it uses."
Doing more with less
In the 1980s, the University's electricity usage grew by almost five percent a year, according to University Director of Energy and Utilities Cheryl Gomez. Over the next decade, however, the University managed to cut the growth rate to almost zero.
Had electricity usage continued to grow at that rate in the 1990s and during the past four years, the University would have spent almost $5 million more on electricity last year than it actually did.
The savings are a result of many energy conservation efforts undertaken by Facilities Management, Gomez said, including initiatives to replace decentralized cooling units with centralized chilling units that use one-third less energy.
"When you save all that electrical usage, it not only saves the University a lot of money, it also has a positive impact on the environment," Gomez said.
The University is still expected to expend 261 million kilowatt hours of electricity this year at a cost of just under $12 million. That is approximately enough energy to power a 19-inch color television for 120,000 years.
"The benefits of wind energy are that it eliminates the atmospheric pollutants that are produced from burning coal," Blum said. "As a result of the other materials that are in the coal, when the coal is burned those materials are released into the atmosphere and catalyze the production of acid rain."
In addition to energy conservation, the University has undergone efforts to reduce other forms of consumption as well.
For example, recycling programs are currently in place for paper, plastic and aluminum, among other materials. Other special programs conducted throughout the year provide drop-off places during move-out for students to discard furniture or other things they would normally throw out. These items are then donated to various Charlottesville charities, thereby "recycling" them in the community.
Not in our back yard
Despite rumors circulating around Charlottesville and a local rise in energy demand, plans are not currently in place for building two new nuclear reactors at the North Anna facility in nearby Lousia County, according to Dominion Power spokesperson Richard Cuercher.
"What we are doing is testing untried federal regulations related to the development of new nuclear power plans," Cuercher said. "We are currently not committed to building a new plant or new reactors. Just because we are testing a process doesn't meant that we are going to build a plant, but we would like to have that option in case we need it someday."
Nuclear energy provides approximately one-third of the power consumed in Virginia, Cuercher said, with demand likely to grow in the future.
"Our society is a sophisticated society because of nuclear power," he said.
Not everyone agrees.
Early last month, students and local activists met to learn about the health, safety and environmental risks associated with nuclear power and to garner support for a safe, clean energy future in Virginia.
Many environmental groups, such as the People's Alliance for Clean Energy, would like to replace the state's dependence on nuclear power with the same type of renewable energy in the student referendum: wind power.
Still, Cuercher insisted that nuclear power is both clean and safe.
"Nuclear power plants generate no emissions associated with fossil fuels," he said. "In addition, the waste stream from nuclear power plants is small and can be safely isolated."
Concerns about nuclear fallout have also been addressed, Chuercher said, to prevent accidents such as the famous meltdown that occurred in 1979 at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island plant.
"We have an excellent operating record," he said. "We have highly trained operators who spend 20 percent of their time in training, and we have federal regulators working on site everyday."
Though the potential for use of renewable energy at the University is uncertain, it is clear that Virginia will continue to rely heavily on nuclear energy and fossil fuels for the foreseeable future.
In the meantime, environmental groups at the University say they will continue to move forward with their efforts to incorporate use of clean, renewable energy.
Read More
U.Va. sees 11 percent increase in early decision applications for Class of 2029
By Sophie Long | 5 days agoThe early decision application process is a binding agreement designed for students who have chosen the University as their top choice.
Corner businesses carry on through winter break despite few students on Grounds
By Nina Broderick | 6 days agoNot only are students customers of these businesses, but they are also employees.
Winter storm warning in effect for Charlottesville starting Sunday evening
By Cecilia Mould | 6 days agoReports from the National Weather Service predict that Charlottesville will experience snow, sleet and freezing rain beginning Sunday afternoon and lasting through Monday.
