Carnegie Mellon University
IN-24: Innovation A

For the 17th consecutive year, Carnegie Mellon University has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as a national leader in the development of renewable electricity production. Carnegie Mellon was recognized as Green Power Partner of the year in 2001 and 2011. In 2017, CMU ranked 7th among universities and 66th among all corporations, institutions and government agencies in the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Of the seven leading universities in this tabulation, Carnegie Mellon is one of only three institutions that use RECs to reduce the environmental impact for 100% of their electricity use. Over time, CMU has sought creative ways to minimize the environmental impact of our electricity use. For example, in both 2017 and 2018, CMU purchased RECs from the Prairie Breeze wind energy farm in Nebraska where renewable electricity generation replaces sources with the highest CO2 emissions in the nation. Beginning in October 2017, Carnegie Mellon took another step in reducing our environmental impact by entering into a unique agreement to purchase 100% of our electricity supply from a wind farm in central Illinois over the next 2 years with extensions available through 2021. As Donald Coffelt, AVP for Facilities Management and Campus Services has noted, “We know that the electricity we are using is coming from the local grid. However, we can say with confidence that all the electricity we are purchasing is coming from renewable sources.”