Vanderbilt University
OP-6: Clean and Renewable Energy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Chelsea
Hamilton Sustainability Outreach Program Manager Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Total energy consumption (electric and non-electric)
2,789,657
MMBtu
Clean and renewable energy sources
Clean and renewable electricity
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity from certified/verified clean and renewable sources (i.e., bundled green power purchases) | 0 Kilowatt-hours | 0 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, clean and renewable sources (rights retained/retired) | 23,427 Kilowatt-hours | 79.93 MMBtu |
A brief description of the certified/verified sources of clean and renewable electricity:
N/A
A brief description of the on-site renewable electricity generating facilities/devices:
A 20-kilowatt solar PV system and a 120 gallon solar hot water system are installed on the roof of the Currey Tennis Center. The solar PV system has produced a 15% reduction in electricity in the building since installation. The solar hot water system has reduced building natural gas use by 40% since installation. The solar PV electricity generation can be viewed via an online dashboard at https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/login?&utm_content=html with the login: sustainvu@vanderbilt.edu and password: VU*Tennis.
Three new solar picnic tables which use photovoltaic solar panels to power charging stations for laptops and phones were added to campus. Each table features a solar array, LED nighttime lighting, four 120 volt and eight USB charging stations, and two large benches for students. The systems will be able to provide 75-100 iPhone charges per day.
Four solar-powered charging stations were installed on campus in Spring 2012– a Solar Dok patio table and three walk-up Solstice units. Members of the Vanderbilt community can charge their electronics while outside, utilizing the batteries charged by solar power. The charging stations were a project of the Vanderbilt Green Fund, a collaborative venture of Plant Operations, the Office of the Dean of Students and Vanderbilt Student Government to fund utility conservation projects proposed by students and selected with student input. The power from these units goes directly into a battery used to power electronic devices and is not calculated in the above number (total clean and renewable electricity generated on site).
The Smart Modal Area Recharge Terminal, or SMART station, is a solar-powered electric car charging station and can accommodate 10 electric vehicles (EVs) and is located on Vanderbilt’s campus. The SMART station is a joint project of Vanderbilt, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Electric Power Research Institute to collect data on the operation of a charging station as well as the integration of the station into the operation of a “smart” power grid. This data will inform the further development of Tennessee’s electric vehicle infrastructure. The SMART station was opened in Fall 2012. The electricity produced by the SMART station goes directly back to the NES grid and is not calculated in the above number (total clean and renewable electricity generated on site).
Three new solar picnic tables which use photovoltaic solar panels to power charging stations for laptops and phones were added to campus. Each table features a solar array, LED nighttime lighting, four 120 volt and eight USB charging stations, and two large benches for students. The systems will be able to provide 75-100 iPhone charges per day.
Four solar-powered charging stations were installed on campus in Spring 2012– a Solar Dok patio table and three walk-up Solstice units. Members of the Vanderbilt community can charge their electronics while outside, utilizing the batteries charged by solar power. The charging stations were a project of the Vanderbilt Green Fund, a collaborative venture of Plant Operations, the Office of the Dean of Students and Vanderbilt Student Government to fund utility conservation projects proposed by students and selected with student input. The power from these units goes directly into a battery used to power electronic devices and is not calculated in the above number (total clean and renewable electricity generated on site).
The Smart Modal Area Recharge Terminal, or SMART station, is a solar-powered electric car charging station and can accommodate 10 electric vehicles (EVs) and is located on Vanderbilt’s campus. The SMART station is a joint project of Vanderbilt, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Electric Power Research Institute to collect data on the operation of a charging station as well as the integration of the station into the operation of a “smart” power grid. This data will inform the further development of Tennessee’s electric vehicle infrastructure. The SMART station was opened in Fall 2012. The electricity produced by the SMART station goes directly back to the NES grid and is not calculated in the above number (total clean and renewable electricity generated on site).
Clean and renewable thermal energy
| MMBtu | |
| Clean and renewable stationary fuels used on-site to generate thermal energy | 351 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water from certified/verified clean and renewable sources | 0 MMBtu |
A brief description of the clean and renewable stationary fuels:
A solar hot water system was installed in late 2015 and the solar PV system was installed in late 2016. The systems currently supply hot water and electricity to the Tennis Center, offsetting on average 40% of the natural gas used in the building.
A brief description of the certified/verified sources of clean and renewable thermal energy:
---
Unbundled renewable energy products
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Purchased RECs, GOs, I-RECs or equivalent unbundled renewable energy products certified by a third party | 1,350,000 Kilowatt-hours | 4,606.20 MMBtu |
A brief description of the unbundled renewable energy products:
Vanderbilt purchases 750 blocks per month, the maximum purchase allowed, of renewable energy through TVA's Green Power Switch Program. Vanderbilt University is the largest purchaser of green power through NES, the local electrical provider.
Metrics used in scoring
5,037.13
MMBtu
Percentage of total energy consumption from clean and renewable sources:
0.18
Optional Fields
Sierra magazine requests the following information from U.S. institutions that wish to share data with that organization:
| Percentage of total electricity use (0-100) | |
| Biomass | 0 |
| Coal | 0 |
| Geothermal | 0 |
| Hydro | 0 |
| Natural gas | 0 |
| Nuclear | 0 |
| Solar photovoltaic | 0 |
| Wind | 0 |
| Other (please specify and explain below) | 0 |
A brief description of other sources of electricity not specified above:
---
Energy used for heating buildings, by source::
| Percentage of total energy used to heat buildings (0-100) | |
| Biomass | 0 |
| Coal | 0 |
| Electricity | 0 |
| Fuel oil | 0 |
| Geothermal | 0 |
| Natural gas | 0 |
| Other (please specify and explain below) | 0 |
A brief description of other sources of building heating not specified above:
---
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainability/innovative-collaborations/
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.