| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.18 |
| Liaison | Ezra Small |
| Submission Date | Feb. 5, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Massachusetts Amherst
OP-9: Clean and Renewable Energy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.00 / 4.00 |
Ezra
Small Sustainability Manager Physical Plant |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
None
Total energy consumption (all sources, transportation fuels excluded), performance year:
2,071,653
MMBtu
None
Clean and renewable energy from the following sources::
| Performance Year | |
| Option 1: Clean and renewable electricity generated on-site during the performance year and for which the institution retains or has retired the associated environmental attributes | 54 MMBtu |
| Option 2: Non-electric renewable energy generated on-site | 0 MMBtu |
| Option 3: Clean and renewable electricity generated by off-site projects that the institution catalyzed and for which the institution retains or has retired the associated environmental attributes | 0 MMBtu |
| Option 4: Purchased third-party certified RECs and similar renewable energy products (including renewable electricity purchased through a certified green power purchasing option) | 0 MMBtu |
None
A brief description of on-site renewable electricity generating devices :
The UMass Research Farm in South Deerfield is a 358-acre agronomy and vegetable farm that conducts research on ethnic and other vegetable crops, agronomic and bioenergy crops, organic agriculture and pasture. The farm has a student-run vegetable project and also trains students in artificial insemination of cattle. Faculty, extension staff, and graduate students conduct applied research and are assisted by talented technicians, field staff and undergraduate students. Since the spring of 2010, it has also been home to a 106-panel, 25 kilowatt PV project.
It has received support from the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, Center for Agriculture, UMass Facilities, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. The effort represents a public-private partnership with Berkshire Management Group and Diversified Construction Services, LLC. joining in to bring this demonstration project to its current stage..
These systems are placed either on non food-producing soils, marginal soils, dedicated centralized towers, or sloping roof structures that allow land use underneath or can also serve as storage facilities.
The research project has three goals. First, it examines and documents the results of implementing ground-mounted solar energy technology on farm land, while simultaneously producing a crop. It also is designed to produce an electric power source to offset power usage at the research farm. Finally, the project will demonstrate how this type of PV can be implemented by a farm in a cost effective manner.
UMass Amherst raised funding for this effort from a combination of sources, including the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, UMass Extension Center for Agriculture, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and DAR. Two private sector interests are also participating, including Berkshire Management Group Director Michael Lehan and David Marley, manager of Diversified Construction Services, LLC.
None
A brief description of on-site renewable non-electric energy devices:
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None
A brief description of off-site, institution-catalyzed, renewable electricity generating devices:
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None
A brief description of the RECs and/or similar renewable energy products:
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None
The website URL where information about the institution's renewable energy sources is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
See internal notes for data methodology.
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.