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ISU plant going green
POCATELLO - From small changes to revolutionary ideas, Idaho State University is taking steps to conserve energy and is becoming a frontrunner in the move to make college campuses ''green.''
Many students are probably unaware of the small changes ISU has made over the past few years to cut back its energy bill by over $500,000 a year. In 2002 ISU brought in Chevron Energy Solutions to do an energy audit. This audit assessed all of ISU's energy uses and determined what could be changed to reduce energy usage. ISU drafted a $6 million contract with Chevron Energy Solutions that would guarantee $500,000 in energy savings per year.
Darrell Buffaloe, associate vice president for ISU Facilities Services, said ISU saw the success of the University of Utah's energy contract and decided to implement its own program. The construction for the project was completed by 2005 and ISU has exceeded its $500,000 savings goal every year since then. Buffaloe says ISU should have its $6 million bond for the project paid off in 16 years from the time it signed the contract, and ''after that the money will go back into education.''
ISU has also started a few energy education programs on campus and around the community. Around ISU there are behavioral training programs that are designed to encourage ISU employees to do simple things, like turn off lights and computers, to help conserve energy. ''That'll be something we'll always have to work on,'' Buffaloe said. ISU has also used grant money to visit local elementary schools and educate kids on water and energy conservation.
''These kids will bring these lessons back to their homes,'' Syed Hashim, ISU's environmental specialist said. Hashim said the kids were given ticket books and were told to be the ''energy police.'' They were instructed to keep an eye out and write tickets whenever somebody was wasting energy. From these efforts alone, some local schools were able to cut back their energy bills by 10 to 15 percent. According to Hashim and Buffaloe, if everyone in the Pocatello area were to cut back on energy usage by 5 percent, the community would save around $5 million.
''That would be $5 million that would come back into the community,'' Buffaloe said. ISU has big plans for the future as well. The university has joined with the Idaho National Laboratory, the University of Idaho and Boise State University to build the Center for Advanced Energy Studies in Idaho Falls, the first building in Idaho to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver rating, which means it is a highly energy efficient building. The building should be complete in August 2008 and will be used to research the best energy sources.
ISU is doing some work on its own as well. ''We've got a dream,'' Buffaloe said. He added that he has been exploring ways of making the entire ISU campus energy-independent. He said that ISU could achieve this by using hydrogen power.
''AMI uses a lot of water. We can convert it to hydrogen and run it through fuel cells to generate the heating, cooling and electricity for the campus,'' Buffaloe said. He estimated it would take eight windmills to convert AMI water into enough energy for the entire campus.
His hope is to receive a grant for one windmill to generate enough energy for the engineering building. The building will act as a small-scale trial and could be used for teaching and research purposes as well. Energy conservation at ISU is an ongoing project. There is an energy team on the Campus Planning Council, and if anyone is interested in getting involved and attending the council's meetings, contact Denise Bowen, the council chairperson, at (208) 282-3159.
By Stephanie Hall - ISU Bengal
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Lisa wrote on Jan 30, 2008 10:40 AM: