On Friday, May 4th, the EGen SWATeam had their final meeting of the 2017-18 school year. Guest Scott Willenbrock presented the pros and cons of solar/wind PPA. He also discussed the Illinois Solar Project located in Sidney and their REC pricing. The SWATeam plans to issue an RFP for solar PPA with a local solar developer.
See attached the Appreciation Letter sent to all SWATeams earlier this month.
The eGen SWATeam submitted a recommendation, to the iWG, stating, "Explore the option of a PPA with a local solar developer."
See attached the SWATeam recommendation, EGen008 Pursue Solar PPA, complete with comments from all the eGen SWATeam members.
On March 30th, 2018, the ECBS and EGen SWATeams held a joint meeting with Joyce Mast, the leader of the project to make the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building (ECEB) zero net energy. Joyce informed the teams that 300 kW is needed on the ECEB rooftop and 1.2 MW is needed in the north campus parking deck (NCPD) to meet this goal, according to a graduate student's thesis. The solar panels have been bought, but a space frame would be needed in order to strengthen the structural support. The team suggested a more feasible and cost-effective solution to look into would be to donate the project money to Solar Farm 2.0. As long as ECEB does not necessarily need to be generating the energy, they can still claim they are zero net energy. In addition, the SWATeams provided ideas for behavioral change projects.
Attached are the meeting minutes from the iWG meeting that was held on April 9th, 2018.
On February 20, 2018, the EGen SWATeam had a guest speaker, Professor George Gross, lecture on wind and solar RECs. With his advice, the team has decided to move forward with the selling of solar RECs and purchasing of wind RECs. The excess funds made will be invested in energy generation/conservation projects. Professor Gross's presentation is attached along with the meeting minutes.
On November 15, 2017, the EGen SWATeam held another meeting to discuss updates on the expansion of campus solar. They discussed financial analyses, based off data from other universities. The team is also considering buying and selling RECs and putting the funds toward energy-saving projects. However, there is concern over the language of the iCap objectives. Nonetheless, a professor, who is knowledgeable in energy and economics, will be invited to a SWATeam meeting so the members can learn more about RECs.
The EGen SWATeam held their second meeting of FY17 on October 13, where they discussed updates on the expansion of campus solar and on a second solar farm. The capital cost fell in the team's predicted range with a significant payback. The S&H building will also be receiving rooftop solar. The team also discussed ways to cut back on costs, such as selling solar recs and purchasing wind recs. The team plans on bringing in experts in the field to discuss this possibility.
Chancellor Jones approved moving forward with soliciting proposals for Solar Farm 2.0, at the Sustainability Council meeting yesterday. F&S will now start working on an RFP process to consider building another 50 acres of solar PVs on south farms.
see file
The attached pdf shows the FY16 status update posters for iCAP objectives, shared by each SWATeam at the Campus Sustainability Celebration.”
Dr. Ximing Cai presented the attached presentation to the SWATeam members at the beginning of fall 2017.
The Energy Generation, Purchasing, & Distribution SWATeam met for the first time of the FY2017 on September 21. They revised their focus topics for the year and reviewed progress on current projects, such as on the rooftop solars on the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, the Speech and Hearing Building, and the Business and Instruction Facility. Finally, EGen also discussed the possibility of building a second solar farm in order to further meet iCap goals.
The charge letter was sent to FY18 SWATeam members, noting the SWATeams' responsibilities for the academic year.
See attached agenda for iWG meeting held on May 2nd, 2017.
see file
Attached is a recommendation submitted by the EGEN SWATeam for consideration. We believe this recommendation will advance sustainability goals set forth by the 2015 iCAP.
The EGEN SWATeam appreciates any feedback resulting from consideration of this recommendation.
The eGen SWATeam submitted a recommendation to the iWG stating, "Start a project to expand the existing Solar farm, or install a new large scale solar installation in a new location."
See attached the SWATeam recommendation EGen007 Solar Farm 2.0 complete with comments from all the eGen SWATeam members.
City of Urbana installs solar PVs, see attached files.
The EGEN SWATeam held another bi-weekly meeting. Topics covered include:
