| CSU Sets New Policy in Favor
of Green Building, Energy Saving Measures
Earlier this week, the California State University (CSU) Board of
Trustees voted unanimously in favor of one of the strongest and most
comprehensive university policy on clean energy in the United States.
The measures include a provision for all new buildings in the
23-university CSU system to be LEED certified and contain a host of
renewable energy components such as a mandate for 10 MW of new solar
energy. Among the goals of the proposed policy, the CSU seeks not only new conservation and more efficient buying methods, but also greater energy independence, largely through on-campus generation of energy. While each campus will have its own unique challenges and capacity, the overarching goal is to enhance reliability of the electrical grid. Cogeneration plants, solar power and flexibility to reduce demand during transmission shortages are key technologies supporting this goal. The CSU is the sixth university system to require all new buildings and major renovations to meet LEED high-performance green building standards. By meeting a 20 percent clean electricity standard by 2010, the CSU's purchases will increase the total amount of clean electricity bought by universities in the U.S. by 20 percent. In meeting a goal of installing 10 MW of solar and other renewable power on campuses by 2014, the CSU will also nearly double the amount of renewable generation on U.S. campuses. The new policy puts the CSU in the lead among the top five universities in the country with clean electricity purchases, onsite renewable power, energy efficiency and green building standards. It will also prevent as much as 80,000 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere per year by 2010, a 17 percent reduction from 2004 levels.
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