Dorm Resource Monitoring System
In 2005 faculty and students collaborated to design and build a campus resource use monitoring system with real-time web-based feedback on electricity consumption. This system educates dorm residents about their electrical usage and empowers them to make a difference in campus resource use through becoming more aware of the effects of their own habits. In combination with dormitory competitions this system has resulted in up to 56% reductions in electricity use in winning dorms.
Production of Solar Energy
The installation of a new solar parking pavilion adjacent to the existing photovoltaic (PV) array on the roof of the innovative Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies makes Oberlin College the home of the largest PV array in Ohio, with a total rated production of 159 kW. By using the solar energy produced by the PV array, the college avoids using other resources necessary to produce electricity.
Green Energy Purchase
In June of 2004 the college signed an agreement to pay $2 per MW to purchase an estimated 13,000 MW in green attributes from the local utility, Oberlin Municipal Light and Power. This amounts to about 50% of the college’s annual electricity consumption. The college purchased all of the green attributes that the utility had available at the time, and is currently undergoing negotiations to increase that amount if possible. Based on a carbon inventory of Oberlin College completed by the Rocky Mountain Institute in 2002, the purchase of these green attributes should offset approximately one quarter of Oberlin’s carbon emissions—amounting to about a 12,600 ton reduction in carbon emissions.
Sustainable Reserve Fund
When Oberlin College agreed to purchase an estimated 50% of its electricity from green sources, the college worked with the municipal power utility and the City Council to create a Sustainable Reserve Fund from the money paid towards green attributes. This fund contains the $2 per MW that Oberlin pays as a premium for green power. This money is overseen by the City Council and is available for local energy conservation and greenhouse gas reducing projects.
Oberlin Wind Power Initiative
The Oberlin Wind Power Initiative, spearheaded by Professor John Scofield of the physics department and Mike Roth, OC ’06, has begun research into the feasibility of constructing a wind turbine in the Oberlin area. After compiling a year of data from their tower located just north of town, the group will assemble a business plan that will use a cost-benefit analysis to determine the most suitable level of production. If the data show the potential for effective wind production in Oberlin, the team will seek funding from the College, private investors and the city of Oberlin.
Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies
The Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies (AJLC) was one of the first and most innovative green buildings on a college campus. It helped launch the green building movement of the mid 1990’s. The AJLC contains numerous innovations in energy systems, HVAC systems, landscaping, wastewater treatment, and materials use. Most notably, with over 150 environmental sensors installed throughout the building and landscape, the AJLC's data monitoring and display system provides a unique opportunity to visualize in real-time the flows of energy and cycling of matter that are necessary to support the built environment.
Chiller replacement
After several months of study, the College is in the process of replacing its existing inefficient central cooling system with new high efficiency units. The two new 700 ton York electric centrifugal chillers are expected to be nearly twice as efficient as the existing units. The new chillers utilize CFC and HCFC-free R-134a refrigerant and high performance variable-speed drives. The new system meets LEED requirements for enhanced refrigeration management.