Principle 2: Goal 2.2

Define the goal issue and provide background info to understand the goal in lay terms.

When the Leading By Example Executive Order was written and signed into law in 2007, the Governor and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts acknowledged their buildings consumed over 1 billion kwh of electricity, 22 million gallons of heating oil, and 46 million therms of natural gas, resulting in over a million tons of GHG emissions a year contributing to “environmental and health issues…such as global climate change, regional mercury contamination, and urban asthma rates.”

Energy procurement plays a leading role in how the University addresses our long-term commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The campuses should seek to identify achievable levels of their electricity consumption that comes from renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydropower, etc. The University’s energy goals should be consistent with or exceed as feasible the Commonwealth’s energy priorities and funding.

Why is this goal important to highlight?

As campuses expand and our energy consumption grows, the University must be seeking electricity from renewable energy sources to alleviate the greenhouse gas emissions impacts. The University is the largest energy consumer in the state and therefore can have a tremendous impact on the overall GHG emissions of Massachusetts. The environmental and human health impacts would be positively affected when the University prioritizes energy conservation, fuel switching, and renewable energy production to reduce GHG emissions.

Where does the University/campuses currently stand in meeting this goal?

The campuses have experienced progress in expanding renewable energy sources particularly around solar photovoltaic (PV) projects. The campuses are a part of solar net-metering projects across the state and exploring other renewable energy options. Additionally, there has been an overall reduction of GHG emissions by 14.7% based on the FY 2004 baseline. Some of the campuses have developed interim emission reduction goals prior to the ACUPCC 2050 carbon neutrality commitment, some have not. Each campus must begin to conduct short term and long term emission reduction planning in order to move toward carbon neutrality and begin implementing wide-scale low-carbon energy strategies. Each campus will need to establish prioritized strategies to reflect local and regional needs, opportunities, and challenges. Some strategies may include, but should not be limited to, On-site renewable energy planning and procurement, energy conservation measures in campus buildings such as continuous commissioning, individual energy reduction strategy implementation and behavior change, along with consideration of net-zero energy growth policies.

Are there other groups/departments who will be critical in meeting this goal?

The University will have to engage with our energy planners and facility staff in determining the most cost-effective and consistent renewable energy sources. The campus may have an opportunity to engage in conversations with their local electricity utility companies to discuss available resources in the region and ways to work together. The System Office will need to continue to play an important role of convener of Sustainability, Facility, and Administration from each campus in order to advance climate action planning, goal setting, and progress reporting. Each respective campus must have an active Sustainability Committee including decision makers and active community members from Facilities, Procurement, EH&S, Academics and Research, student leaders, and all major energy consuming units on campus including but not limited to: Residential Life, Dining and Auxiliary Services, Athletics, etc.

What has been done in the past to advance towards this goal?

The University is currently a part of solar net-metering projects which allows for the credits to offset their electricity costs through large-scale solar PV projects which are not required to be in close geographical location. Despite rapid physical growth of most campuses within the UMass System and new development of very high energy intensive facilities that help serve the academic mission of the University, the campuses have been effective in reducing energy and emissions through a variety of efforts dating back to the early 2000’s. The UMass Building Authority has established the minimum standard for new constructions at all campuses must meet LEED Silver certification.

What does the University/campus need to do in order to reach this goal?

The campuses must work to identify the renewable energy sources available to them and how much electricity consumption should be sourced by renewable energy. Carbon emission reduction efforts must be ramped up and prioritized through energy master planning, updates to carbon plan goals and GHG inventories, etc. as well as utilize innovative funding mechanisms such as green revolving funds which have very effective returns on investment throughout higher education and state government.