2010

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory & Recommendations for Achieving Carbon

Neutrality

Faculty Coordinator: Dr. Kate Hale WilsonFaculty Support: Dr. Jim Boulter and Dr. Kim PiersonStudent Researchers: Carbon Neutral Team, 2010

Student Presenters: Jason Hansen, Laura Headrick, Steph Mabrey,& Andi Krunnfusz

Heating

ACUPCC• Presidents Climate

Commitment– Achieve climate

neutrality (date TBD)– Initiate tangible actions

to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

– Publish the climate action plan, emissions inventory, and periodic progress reports

What is eCO2?

• Equivalent carbon dioxide emissions• Standard measurement for global warming

potential– Carbon Dioxide– Methane– Nitrous Oxide– Halocarbons– Sulfur Hexafluoride

2010 Total eCO2 Emissions

Total Emissions: 38,870 metric tons eCO2

35%

33%

21%

11%HeatingElectricityTransportationSolid Waste & Chemicals

o Heating produces 13,771 MT eCO2

eCO2 Production by Sources 2008 & 2010 (MT)

Heating

Electr

icity &

Cooling

Transporta

tion

Waste &

Chemica

ls

Offsets

Total

eCO2-5,000

05,000

10,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,000

16,07520,002

5,380

105

-2,284

39,278

13,77112,707

8,2474,142

0

38,870

20082010

Heating• Steam produced by heating plant is used for heating

buildings, heating water, sterilizers, laundry services, and dehumidification.

• The heating plant relies on coal, natural gas, and #2 fuel oil. Other options (such as wood pellets) have been experimented with by the heating plant but no reliable alternatives can be made without major changes to the heating plant.

Wood PelletsWood pellets produce a third of the heat coal does, so in order to switch over to wood pellets, three times the current storage space would be required. In addition, wood pellets only effectively lower emissions when they are produced from scrap wood or from trees that are replaced with a new tree. Scrap wood is in short supply in the current economy, so planting replacement trees, though more expensive, would be the only way to make wood pellets more carbon neutral. The current system for feeding coal into the UW-Eau Claire boilers would have to be redesigned in order to move the smaller, more easily fractured wood pellets. Though this sounds like an enormous expense, the Sierra Club has pressed charges against UW-Eau Claire and other state-owned coal plants that they believe fail the Clean Air Act as part of their “Beyond Coal” campaign. Great expenses are part of the future of the UW-Eau Claire heating plant whether they be in improvements or in defense of the current system.

This graph shows the volume of steam produced by each of our heating plant’s current sources. Natural gas is used whenever possible, but coal must be relied on during more frigid days. Natural gas is provided by the Viking gas line maintained by Xcel Energy. Unfortunately, during peak heating times, Xcel Energy cuts off large consumers such as UW-Eau Claire in order to guarantee that supplies of natural gas reach residential consumers. Fuel oil is used only for starting up boilers before using other sources or in case of emergencies. Coal remains our main source.

Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

OilNatural GasCoal

Btu

Where does our coal come from?

Blue Diamond Complex

Railroad Paths

Barge Routes

Vessel Routes

Truck Routes

Our coal originates in Kentucky and is sent by railroad, barge or vessel, and truck to Eau Claire. Trucking the coal (usually from the Twin Cities drop-off site) creates an additional 34.6 MT of eCO2. However, it is very difficult to accurately calculate the emissions produced by the barges and vessels; therefore, these emissions were not included in the 2010 Report.

Clean Air-Cool Planet Campus Carbon

Calculator

U.S. Energy Information

Administration

Coal25 million Btu/T 9,184 MT eCO2 12,324 T CO2

4,802 T

#2 Fuel Oil134,500 Btu/gal 8,915 MT eCO2

892,639 gal ↓ 3%

Natural Gas1.03 million Btu/Mcf 6,150 MT eCO2

116,563 Mcf ↓ 33%

Wood Pellets16.4 million Btu/T 208 MT eCO2 11,706 T CO2

7,320 T ↓ 98% ↓ 5%

Solar2,000 Btu/ft2 0 MT eCO2

60,030,000 ft2 ↓ 100%

This table shows the production of British thermal units (Btu) by a variety of sources. Provided is each source’s rate of Btu production per volume unit, the volume required to produce the 120 billion Btu our coal currently produces, the metric tons (MT) of eCO2 which would be produced by that source, and the percent reduction it would be compared to the eCO2 produced by coal.

Heating Recommendations

• Improve Heat Efficiency• Increase Infrastructure Efficiency• Pursue Alternatives to Coal

Improve Heat Efficiency

Because the University does not currently have the means to convert the University

Heating Plant into a non-coal dependent plant, in the short-term the University must

take additional measures to use coal as efficiently as possible. In order to prevent heat

loss during the heating season, all University windows, including those in residence

halls, academic, and administration buildings, must be kept closed at all times. We

recommend that the University implement a policy that requires building directors to

increase temperature regulation efficiency through detailed communication with

residents and with the University Heating Plant. The campus community must

understand that opening windows during the heating season results in an increase of

steam use, and thus reduces heating plant efficiency. Improved communication can

result in better temperature regulation and obviate the need to open windows.

Increase Infrastructure EfficiencyHeating and electricity are UW-Eau Claire’s two largest eCO2 contributors; together, they

account for 68% of the University carbon footprint. To reduce these emissions, the University

must increase building efficiency, install energy generating facilities, and explore carbon-

neutral fuel alternatives appropriate to the region. The 2008 report recommended that

University windows be replaced with more efficient glass, which could result in an up to 25%

decrease of heating emissions for each. In addition to installing more efficient windows,

improving the insulation of buildings can reduce the amount of heat loss that increases utility

bills and adds to the carbon footprint. The temperature controls in many campus spaces also

need to be updated and improved. Effort and funds need to be directed toward developing

and installing more efficient temperature control and monitoring systems in buildings. We

recommend that the University continue to improve the efficiency of all existing campus

buildings and to choose energy-saving designs and materials in all new construction.

Pursue Alternatives to Coal

Heating emissions, the largest contributor to the University's

carbon footprint, account for 35% of the total. In order to reduce

these emissions, the University must reduce its reliance on coal by

lowering the heating load and ultimately by constructing a new

heating system. Because there are currently no feasible alternative

fuel options, the University should create a student/faculty

research team that focuses on coal reduction and new heating

technology. In the meantime, geothermal heat pump, and solar

thermal technologies must be included in all new construction.

Additional Information

• For more detailed information, please view the 2010 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report & Recommendations for Achieving Carbon Neutrality in full at:

http://www.uwec.edu/Sustainability/plans/index.htm