The GREEN Project: Getting Reliable Energy Efficiency Now

THE GREEN PROJECT: GETTING RELIABLE ENERGY EFFICIENCY NOW

PRESENTED BY FANGNING ZHENG, KELSEY SUDOL, REBECCA BRADLEY, YIWEN ZHANG

Opening StoryJimmy is the only child of a professor at RPI. One day, his mom takes him to campus to show him around. When they walk into

the classroom, Jimmy says, “Oh my god! It’s so warm here. What’s wrong with this room? Why are all of the windows

open?” Jimmy’s mom tells him, “It’s a waste of energy! I thought this is a technical school, but how can they not realize the importance of energy efficiency. This building is so old that

windows there are really inappropriate, which makes the room uncomfortable.”

Aims

• This project aims to provide a sustainable environment for RPI’s campus.

1. Improve the efficiency of energy usage

2. help save money for the institute in the future

3. controls climate change.

Aims• First, money is the most likely significant

barrier; we can address this by being very active in seeking funding and doing our own fundraising.

• By putting up posters which represent the data of CO2 emission and rate of global warming, we educate and arouse people’s awareness of being sustainable.

Aims• Second, the new energy-efficiency windows designed

by our group allow heat to transfer well. This means that heat would no longer be sealed inside the rooms, instead, sunlight would be first reflected (i.e. heat is to be isolated) by the new windows; then, the heat launched in the room would be released by our air system.

• With the installation of our new windows and air-systems, energy use would be decreased and the comfortable level would be increased.

Aims• Third, after a short time period of the installation of Sage, we

could get more experiences and we would plan to change the windows of the school’s resident halls.

• This helps to regulate and reduce energy use of RPI students.

• We would at first educate people the importance to reduce daily energy consumption, pointing out the emergency of global warming as well as arousing people’s awareness to reduce CO2 emission.

Aims• Finally, if all the new systems of Sage and the

residence halls were running well, we would plan to change the whole windows and air-conditioning systems in RPI campus

• We seek to have a significant reduction in energy consumption and money uses in RPI campus, as well as reduce the tuition each student paid for the campus.

What/ who are we?• GREEN is an organization that will strive to improve the

energy efficiency on RPI’s campus.• We will do this through improving the poor quality windows and

heating systems in the old buildings on campus. • The group involves all types of people on campus:

undergraduates, graduates, PhD candidates, Faculty, etc.• The basic organization of the group will be broken down into

committees, in which we need a variety of people. For example, we need:• Mechanical engineers, environmental engineers, electrical

engineers, management majors, Public Relation experts, environmental science majors, professors, faculty, support from the study body, etc.

Related Project and Involved Organizations

• 1. SWEEP (the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project)

• SWEEP promotes greater energy efficiency in a six-state region that includes Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

Related Project and Involved Organizations

• 2. Krivodol Municipality in Bulgaria • The building of the St Cyril and Methodius general school in the

town of Krivodol is a solid-frame brick structure consisting of two parts. The low efficiency of the heating system and the high operating costs led to a constant increase in energy consumption and energy bills.

• Aims:• improve the indoor thermal comfort for pupils• reduce energy consumption by implementing energy efficiency

measures. • reduce water consumption.

Related Project and Involved Organizations

3. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

• Lack of energy knowledge is regarded as illiteracy, innumeracy and apathy according to Newborough and Probert (1994).

• A lot of emphasis is being laid nowadays on the systematic and organized information of pupils on energy saving and renewable energy attitudes. Raising young people's awareness on these matters promises and secures the existence of energy responsible consumers in the future.

Stakeholders• Students (undergraduate, graduate, etc.)

• Learn and live in these uncomfortable environments• Deal with consequences of climate change in the future• Involve them through the media: newspaper, internet, radio shows, flyers, posters,

talks, movies, internships, jobs, etc.• Extremely important for the project to work

• Professors/ Faculty• Their classrooms are the ones affected• The social media from the students will reach them as well

• Administration• Through the students and faculty• Money due to decreased energy cost• Increasing the image of the school

• Corporations• Parents• Groups on campus: GreenCorps

Green Corps (formed 2008)• Ecologic, Student Sustainability Task Force,

Terra Café, Engineers for a Sustainable World, Vasudha, Green Greeks, Solar Car Racing Team• EcoHall Challenge • Sustainability Speaker Series• Revolving Green Fund • Beta Testing: Sustainable Technologies/Systems

Prototyping• New Building Design and Existing Buildings

Refurbish Policy (In Development)• Sustainable Housing Initiative (Planned)

Rationale • With climate change and the increasing pollution, we need to increase

energy efficiency• people around the country and around the world are looking for new

ways to save money and conserve power. • It is obvious that RPI students, as well, care about these issues, • Furthermore, even those students who are less concerned about the

environment are dissatisfied with the state of temperature control in their classrooms and dorms.

• It is absurd, that the windows of upper floor rooms have to stay open through the winter due to the poorly-insulated windows on the ground floor …

• …but then the floors above suffer from sweltering heat as a result of the way hotter air circulates upward. This is incredibly wasteful in terms of both money and energy.

Rationale• Rensselaer is a university of being ahead of the rest of the pack

and anticipating the needs of the future. • The future lies in more efficient energy systems and infrastructure.

Institutes of learning around the world should be undertaking projects like GREEN to inspire their pupils to ensure that our Earth stays clean for future generations,

• RPI has the ability and available resources to effectively execute this project, and there is a reason, after all, that RPI is the number four engineering school in the world.

• Rensselaer is brimming with pioneering minds and skillful hands, and with all of these advantages, the GREEN project can and will be a total success.

Where do we plan to get funding?

• Grants/ money from RPI itself:• Revolving Green Fund

• Corporations/ Connections with RPI:• EPA’s star program•Morse Zehnter Associates

Where do we plan to get funding?• Tax breaks/ subsidies• For home improvement, “the maximum credit equals 10% of

qualified 2011 expenditures (excluding costs for site preparation, assembly and installation)….”, which includes windows, doors, insulation, etc. • In time, the saved money from smaller energy bills• Cut goes to corporations

• Fundraising• Working with groups like: Ecologic, Engineers for a Sustainable

World, Engineers Without Borders, the student government

Phases of the Project• Stage one: Step up basic infrastructure of the group

and project• President, Vice President, etc.• Figure out what our target buildings are going to be: pretesting• Secure basic funding for the project

• Stage Two: Public Relations• Begin research • Better public relations with student body (important for college

campus• Flyers, posters, etc.• Movie series, fundraising

• Fundraising around campus- raise awareness for energy efficiency • Attempt tiny changes to campus

• Change how campus thinks about energy efficiency

Phases of the Project (continued)• Stage Three: Create a Plan • Finish/finalize research• Make sure a complete cost analysis is done• Have the exact money to pay for the new technology

• Create a construction schedule

• Stage Four: Construction• Replace/ improve internal the heating and cooling

systems• Replacing old windows with energy efficient ones

• Stage Five: Evaluation

Evaluation/Scaling Up and Out• Redo initial testing, comparing

final results to initial tests• Publish results • Spread news of success

• Do this project on more and more buildings on campus

• Use the campus as a model for other colleges• One campus does not change the

energy efficiency problem of the world. But if we can begin a movement across the country for colleges, that will accumulate.

Location-positives and negatives• RPI • Has many connections, facilities and technology to make this possible

as an engineering school• Research will be the latest and best

• A large student base that directly feels the affects- will be our following• Its technology is so out of date for buildings• Its buildings so old

• Its prestigious name• Will become a model for other colleges

• It is a college campus- doing construction will be difficult• Solution: a laid out schedule, and the willingness of the students

and staff who will be fine with cooperating because they will reap the benefits in the end

Trends/ Barriers• Social• Not to believe in climate change• Not to stand out, to conform

• Political• Republican Party: investments in large oil and gas industry• Affects how the students on campus think

• Economic• Economy in horrible shape- especially with various disasters that have

occurred• Administration might be frugal with spending money – limits our start

up funding• Will overcome this barrier by:• Strict business plan• Money will be gained in the end• Support from the people

Closing StorySeveral years later, Jimmy has become a freshmen at RPI and is

about to begin his first class. When Jimmy walks into the classroom, he is very surprised. “Wow, how can this happen! Everything has changed in this room. The temperature is so

comfortable and the windows seem pretty new!” His professor says, “Yes, it’s much more comfortable than before. A few years ago, a group of students designed a project on the windows and heating systems in some old buildings. It was such an awesome project we all appreciate it so much. This project has helped the school save a large amount of money and the energy efficiency

here has improved greatly. The most important thing is the room temperature will always be comfortable in winter!”

Any Questions?