(Image courtesy of UNA)The University of North Alabama (UNA) recently announced a partnership to implement a capital recovery and reinvestment project with Schneider Electric to modernize its facilities, drive sustainability efforts and help the university reduce its energy consumption. UNA and Schneider Electric have committed to cutting the university’s energy costs 20% by the end of 2020.
Schneider Electric has designed a comprehensive construction project that will touch over 70 UNA facilities. Major improvements to the campus will include smart automation and IT technologies, installation of LED lighting, improvements to heating and cooling systems, updates to the building envelope and roofing, and water reduction technologies, all designed to improve UNA’s energy efficiency and create savings opportunities. According to UNA, these new technologies and a proven funding mechanism will help the university do more with less.
The project is funded by an energy savings performance contract (ESPC) to generate a significant amount of savings that can be used to reinvest in improvements for the school and its students. The contract invests $17 million in sustainable and energy efficient infrastructure upgrades that will create energy and operational savings in excess of $27 million over the next 20 years.
UNA is just one school to recently adopt energy efficient initiatives. In March, Florida A&M University’s board of trustees approved a partnership with Duke Energy Florida to construct a solar facility. The new solar plant is expected to add nearly 75 megawatts of energy to the grid at the university’s Brooksville Agricultural and Environmental Research Station (BAERS).
The board signed off on a 25-year lease agreement with Duke Energy Florida. It includes a due diligence period for site investigation and permitting before construction starts on the solar project.
And in February, The University of Hawai?i announced the completion of an Energy Internet of Things (IoT) platform across its 10 campuses. The school worked with Blue Pillar and Elemental Excelerator to create an “energy smart university.”
Blue Pillar’s Energy IoT platform provides the UH Office of Energy Management (OEM) with enhanced visibility into its energy usage by centralizing data across disparate systems and equipment. With funding support from Elemental Excelerator, the energy network is a foundational component of the University of Hawai?i’s goal to achieve net zero energy use by 2035.
The 4th Annual Environmental Leader & Energy Manager Conference takes place May 13 – 15, 2019 in Denver. Learn more here.
