Overall Rating Platinum
Overall Score 86.33
Liaison Lisa Kilgore
Submission Date March 1, 2024

STARS v2.2

Cornell University
IN-48: Innovation B

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Sarah Carson
Director, Campus Sustainability Office
FS - Energy & Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
Cooling a Particle Accelerator using Only Lake Water

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
The Wilson Laboratory at Cornell University has upgraded its cooling system for the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS). The lab now utilizes Cornell's Lake Source Cooling (LSC) system, drawing cold water from Cayuga Lake to remove heat from the district chilled water loop that cools the majority of Cornell facilities. This switch enhances efficiency, sustainability, and allows year-round operation, being over six times more efficient than traditional water chilling systems. Overall, this initiative is expected to save 4 million gallons of water and $50,000 in electricity costs annually while providing over 1,000 researchers more access to research during the summer.

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2023/09/lake-source-cooling-brings-sustainability-precision-synchrotron

More info about Lake Source Cooling can be found here: https://fcs.cornell.edu/departments/energy-sustainability/utilities/cooling-home/cooling-production-home/lake-source-cooling-home/how-lake-source-cooling-works

Optional Fields

A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
---

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2023/09/lake-source-cooling-brings-sustainability-precision-synchrotron

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.