UCSC is getting even greener.
This year, the campus is embarking on two pilot green-power projects: installing solar panels on the West Field House Gym and increasing the efficiency of the campus pool's heating system.
These projects were initiated as a collaborative effort between faculty, staff, and students, according to Energy Manager Patrick Testoni.
"Hopefully, these demonstration projects will provide a solid foundation and precedent for additional projects at UCSC in the near future," Testoni said.
Testoni discovered third-party financing for solar panels through an arrangement known as a power purchase agreement (PPA). PPAs allow campuses to install solar at little or no cost to the campus. The campus leases the space to a vendor, who then installs the solar panels and sells the electricity back to the campus at a pre-determined rate.
"It's a good way to get projects done in these budget times," Testoni said.
Testoni identified several rooftops that would work for solar panels. He discussed the project with the co-chair of the Chancellor's Council on Climate Change, Daniel Press, professor of environmental studies and department chair. The two agreed that installing solar panels would provide UCSC with an excellent and visible opportunity.
Since the concept of a PPA is new to the campus, they decided to pick one ideal site to serve as a pilot/demonstration project.
This project is a unique collaborative effort, said Testoni. The nature of the agreement has required participation between UCSC Purchasing, Physical Plant, Contracts, and Athletics Department staff. Faculty and students have been involved as well, and the result will be a solar array both visible to the public (since it's the home to the campus's athletics teams) and to students.
The project will have an educational component as well, since there will be a real-time display of energy generated by the array inside the building.
Testoni hopes this demonstration project at the West Field House will lead to the installation of solar panels on several campus buildings, as it will lay the foundation for using alternative business arrangements to move the campus toward its sustainability goals.
Also, this summer, Physical Plant will perform a thermal solar project at the East Field House Pool during the planned pool renovation. The energy-efficiency project to "green" the campus pool's heating system is one of the initial projects in the Strategic Energy Plan developed for the campuses by UC Office of the President.
Physical Plant will install solar thermal panels on the roof of the OPERS building at the East Field House. These panels will use the sun's power to generate heated water that will be used to heat the pool. In conjunction with the solar thermal project, Physical Plant will remove the cogeneration plant and the existing boilers at the East Field House, and replace them with small, modular, high-efficiency boilers. These boilers will provide the additional heating needed for the East Field above and beyond what the solar thermal panels can provide.
In a third demonstration project, Physical Plant is retrofitting the campus outdoor pole lighting as part of the UC Energy Efficiency Partnership with PG&E. An initial demonstration project will be done at the Kerr Hall, Baskin Arts, and Bookstore Commons areas. This will involve replacing existing metal halide and high-pressure sodium lamps with the latest in LED technology. The new LED fixtures use less than 50 percent of the energy than the existing fixtures and provide a higher quality of lighting.
