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Team NRG
Patrick Phillips
Jacquelyn Pica
John Price
Dakota Skipper
Professional Writing
ENC 3250.794
University of South Florida, St.
Petersburg
Dr. Francis Tobienne, Jr.
November 18th, 2015
2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ______________________________________________________ pg. 3
Introduction_____________________________________________________________ pg. 4
Why do we need to find energy alternatives? __________________________________ pg. 5
USFSP’s Green Movement Goals____________________________________________ pg. 6
- Net Zero Energy Usage
- Carbon Neutrality
- Groups and Programs
Green Certified Buildings__________________________________________________ pg. 9
- LEED Gold Certification
- Green Building Features
- Kate Tiedemann College of Business
Parking Garage Solar Panels ______________________________________________pg.10
- DUKE Energy Grant
- Storage Potential
Energy Sustaining Gym Equipment__________________________________________pg.11
- Net Zero Equipment
- Energy Generating Equipment
Conclusion______________________________________________________________pg.12
Annotated Bibliography___________________________________________________
3
Executive Summary
Every day, we
turn our televisions
on, start our cars,
talk on cell phones,
and cook on stoves
or microwaves. The
energy that powers
these technologies
originate from a
variety of sources,
and while some are
infinite and
renewable, others
are
neither. Unfortunately, most of our world currently runs on fossil-based fuels. “Fossil-based
fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) currently provide about 85% of all the energy use both in US
and worldwide” (Your Guide to Renewable Energy).
These fossil based fuels, while necessary for modern life, are depleting at an alarming
rate. In order to combat this depletion, alternate energy sources must be researched, utilized,
and developed. Green energy alternatives are beginning to be used in everyday businesses;
universities, offices, and even homes. Although many people aren’t aware of the need for green
energy development, we are going to have to depend on these renewable energies in the not so
distant future.
4
Introduction
An increasing number of universities are picking up on this, and the University of South Florida
St. Petersburg is among those leading the pack. They have taken many steps in order to
establish themselves as a green and sustainable campus. The students and faculty are a driving
force in the local going-green community, and openly embrace technologies and process
changes that aid in the utilization of renewable resources in place of non-renewable
resources. The construction of the newer buildings for example, were not done without a
considerable amount of thought for the environment in their design and their post-construction
function.
The university is also involved in the utilization and research of innovative solar panels that
leverage clean efficient energy from the sun; as well as the purchase of earth-and-economic
friendly gym equipment so that the students can exercise with a green conscience. USF St.
Petersburg consciously stands with the earth as it aims to lower the need of these non-renewable
resources.
5
Why do we need to find energy alternatives?
Given that these resources are non-
renewable and finite, the duration of their utility is
limited. This duration is “often characterized by so-
called Reserves-to-Production ratio (R/P). In plain
language, R/P basically gives us the length of time
the reserves would last if their usage continue at the
current rate.” (Your Guide to Renewable Energy).
Given that our population is increasing
daily, chances are that energy consumption will
increase as well. Life expectancy rate is increasing,
and chances are that the millennial generation will
outlive the supply of two of the main conventional
fossil fuels; oil and natural gas, according to the
statistics above. Once and awhile, new deposits of
these resources are discovered, but certainly not
enough to make a dent substantial enough to last
beyond a generation.
The table below “compares the US average
levelized electricity cost in dollars per kilowatt-hour
for both non-renewable and alternative fuels in new
power plants, based on US EIA statistics and
analysis from Annual Energy Outlook 2014.”(Your
Guide to Renewable Energy). One can gather from
this table that the aforementioned fossil-fuels are
the most economically efficient, which explains
their current attractiveness; but we cannot forget
that these resources have limited supply, and their
depletion is inevitable.
Something to keep in mind about these
statistics are that, once Oil and Natural Gas are
depleted, the world’s inhabitants will invariably
need to gather their energy from somewhere in
order to continue living with today’s (and
tomorrow’s) luxuries. If we do not have other
energy alternatives, the rate of coal consumption
will most certainly increase, thereby giving it a
much shorter lifetime. Given the statistics earlier,
coal consumed at the current rate is already only
expected to last just beyond two generations from
now. This increased consumption rate will
guarantee it.
The security of our future is dependent on
finding a way to better utilize other
resources. Fortunately, many communities are
making strides to leverage modern technology and
utilize those renewable resources that are infinite
and leave a net-zero carbon footprint. One such
community is USF St. Petersburg.
6
Net Zero Power Usage:
The Department of Energy has defined Net
Zero Energy buildings as “An energy-efficient
building where, on a source energy basis, the actual
annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the
on-site renewable exported energy”. The concept of
being “Net Zero” means that the electricity
consumed and the electricity produced has a net of
zero; where energy consumption equals production,
or production is more than consumption. Net Zero
Energy focuses solely on electricity; specifically,
having a building that is able to balance its energy
needs with energy from renewable resources,
whether produced at that building or received from
renewable energy sources off-site.
The most important aspect of Net Zero
energy is being able to draw from renewable energy
sources, such as solar or wind power. As stated in
the definition, “annual delivered energy”, which
must be less than or equal to the annual consumed
energy, is the defining factor in determining if a
building has achieved Net Zero Energy. Even if a
building doesn’t produce enough energy that it
needs in one day, as long as it is able to, within the
year, makeup for those shortcomings, it will still be
considered a Net Zero Energy building.
Net Zero Energy is different from alternate
energy efficiency approaches in two separate ways:
“the baseline and target are “zero”, instead of a
percentage improvement over prior performance,
and the energy you use must be supplied
from renewable energy”. Most energy efficiency
strategies strive to be 50% more energy efficient, or
80% more efficient by a certain year. With Net
Zero, the goal is to get that building’s annual non-
renewable energy consumption to be zero. Net Zero
Energy buildings also should not use any energy
from the grid, as that would increase their
consumed power and therefore they would have to
produce much more energy in order to make up for
drawing upon this non-renewable resource. “Net
Zero Energy means that a building balances its
energy needs with energy produced from
renewable, zero-emission sources. While Net Zero
Energy buildings may seem cutting edge, they will
become status quo faster than you think” (Net Zero Energy).
Source: sftool.gov
USFSP’s Green Movement Goals
Given that energy alternatives need to be researched and utilized in order to provide for a
better future, USF St. Petersburg has “pledged to achieve climate neutrality on campus by agreeing to
the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment” (Tinti 2015). In order to
achieve this overall goal, USFSP has broken it down into two separate categories: net zero power
usage and carbon neutrality.
7
Carbon Neutrality:
USF St. Petersburg has declared their
ultimate goal to be achieving a net zero carbon
footprint. David Vasquez, chairman of the CERCC,
shed light on this plan, and gave insight as to how
their goals will help not only our university, but also
our community. The members of the Clean Energy
and Resource Conservation Commission (CERCC)
are the brains behind most of the green energy
projects on campus. A few of the CERCC’s goals
are “ to intellectually and practically lead the
sustainability movement at USFSP, and to
recommend investments to Student Government
that will most effectively reduce the University’s
carbon footprint” (Sustainability). Ideally, Vasquez
says "the goal is to get ALL of its energy sources by
technologies used on the campus, but if we can't
generate enough from our technologies, the plan is
to purchase energy credit from a remote source (a
set of solar panels across town, for example), to
offset the deficiency to meet that goal of 100%
carbon neutrality."
Non-renewable energy sources give off
carbon dioxide emissions when used, which
contributes to global warming and pollution. In
order to offset all of these carbon dioxide emissions,
one must either use solely green energy, or purchase
energy credits from an outside source in order to
make up for the carbon dioxide emitted from non-
renewable energy that was used. Carbon neutrality
doesn’t simply focus on one building or area, but
rather carbon emissions on a national and global
scale. When Vasquez says that they plan to
“purchase energy credit from a remote source”, this
means that, if USFSP had to use carbon-emitting
energy, they would make up for it by purchasing
that same amount of energy from a renewable
energy source elsewhere. This shows how, as long
as the carbon emissions are being made up for from
a renewable energy source, one can still be
considered to be carbon neutral.
8
Groups and Programs:
Each student at USF pays a fee of $1.00 per
credit hour, which goes towards the Student Green
Energy Fund (SGEF). The money in this fund aids
the University of South Florida in their going green
initiatives, including the purchase, experimentation,
and utilization of energy-sustaining
technologies. As sponsors of this fund, each student
has the ability to generate a proposal for a project
that will aid in USFSP's going green
movement. These proposals are given to the
student-run organization, SGEF, who then casts
votes to elect which proposal(s) to execute.
Given that this organization is the
gatekeeper of this fund, Patrick Phillips attended an
SGEF meeting, to get a feel of the organization's
current direction and ongoing plans. During the
October 27, 2015 meeting, their focus was on
marketing; or rather, how they should go about
raising awareness to students about their
responsibility to propose "going green"
projects. The current consensus is that the average
USFSP student does not know about the $1.00 per-
credit-hour fee; much less of their ability to propose
a project that utilizes the fund. Those present at the
meeting discussed ways to reach out to students to
bring attention to the latter point. Suggestions
ranged from utilizing multiple social media outlets,
to erecting a table in front of the campus, to visiting
various student organization meetings, and speaking
in front of classrooms of courses that would likely
warrant interest in the green movement. In their
approach to the professors of these courses, they're
going to inquire on the professor's interest in
offering extra credit to their students in exchange
for SGEF proposals.
Given a close relationship with many
professors who are already proactive in the going-
green movement, they have faith that this is
feasible.
Patrick arrived at the meeting early and
briefly took some time to chat with SGEF Chairman
David Vasquez. In this time, Patrick explained the
direction of our White Paper project, which is
focused on the energy-sustaining technologies that
USFSP currently has, and the technologies
that it plans on implementing in the future. Mr.
Vasquez explained that the ultimate goal of SGEF,
and CERCC is for the campus to become 100%
carbon neutral; meaning, all energy that it uses will
be generated from solar panels and other
technologies that utilize sustainable earth-friendly
resources.
9
Green Building Certification:
USF St. Petersburg’s Science and
Technology building (STG) and University Student
Center (USC) have met the standards of the U.S.
Green Building Council (USGBC) through the
attainment of their Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) gold
certification. The STG building proudly display
this seal of certification on window and plaques
throughout the buildings. “The LEED plaque on a
building is a mark of quality and achievement in
green building” (LEED Certification).
USFSP’s proud display of this plaque can
certainly be validated; as LEED is the “most
recognized and widely used green building program
across the globe (U.S. Green Building
Council). While being certified by LEED on any
level is an accomplishment, LEED’s gold
certification is the second highest rating level that a
building can obtain from the internally-recognized
organization.
Given this authority, a LEED certification
does not come easy. Buildings have to undergo
rigorous scrutiny during construction, and after
construction in order to make sure they are meeting
the industry-leading green standards that
accompany a LEED certification.
“LEED certification provides independent
verification of a building or neighborhood’s green
features, allowing for the design, construction,
operations and maintenance of resource-efficient,
high-performing, healthy, cost-effective buildings“
(LEED Certification).
A building’s certification level is based on points
accumulated, based on the following criterion:
Based on the number of points achieved, a project
earns one of four LEED rating levels: LEED
Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, or LEED
Platinum (LEED Certification). USFSP’s STG and
USC buildings had to score between 60-79 points,
based on the criterion listed above.
USFSP Green Certified Buildings
One way that USFSP is a driving force in the utilization of renewable resources is in the construction of their
buildings. Given that buildings account for 38% of all CO2 Emissions in the US (U.S. Green Building
Council). Ensuring the execution of resource-efficient buildings is imperative to achieving the goal of being
environmentally conscious.
10
The largest object of our solar system is also
the most abundant source of energy. The Sun is
continuously throwing 173,000 terawatts of energy
at the Earth (Pierce). This solar energy is entirely
renewable, and its abundance is consequently
unlimited. Being in the sunshine state, it only made
sense for USF St. Petersburg to make use of this
energy. With the help of Duke Energy, they are
able to leverage the energy from the sun in a new
and innovative way atop their parking garage.
Duke Energy Grant: Earlier this year, Duke Energy Florida
funded the install of a $1-million solar array atop
the USF St. Petersburg parking garage. While Duke
Energy is not new to funding Florida colleges with
solar panels, the panel installed atop USF St.
Petersburg’s parking garage is the largest one to
date (Boatwright).
Storage Potential: It is a 100-kilowatt system made up of an
impressive 318 solar panels, but its size is not the
only feature exclusive to USF. St. Petersburg. This
garage can continue utilizing the sun’s energy even
in the sun’s absence. This is credited to a prototype
battery on the ground floor of the parking garage
that is developed by Tesla Motors. These
innovative batteries absorb any excess energy
generated from the panels above, and keep up to
200-kilowatts on reserve to use in the sun’s
absence. This way, in the event of a cloudy day,
or after the sun goes down, the parking garage can
still operate on
clean energy.
Parking Garage Solar Panels
11
Students at USF St. Petersburg can even be
earth-conscious while they exercise. At the Student
Life Center, SGEF has installed gym equipment that
aids in the University’s energy sustainability
efforts. The upper floor of the fitness center
features ellipticals and stationary bikes that convert
human energy into electricity; as well as Net-Zero
treadmills.
From October 19, 2015 through October 30,
2015, SGEF hosted its annual "Race for the watts"
competition to encourage students to generate
energy on these machines. In this competition,
student organizations compete for who can generate
the most watts or mileage on their green standard
workout equipment. Patrick Phillips participated in
this event to get a personal experience of the
energy-sustaining gym equipment.
"I was curious how a treadmill could be operated
solely on your movement", said Patrick as he
thought back to his first impression of approaching
the energy-sustaining treadmill. "The machines are
curved towards the front, so that it utilizes your
weight and gravity to generate the inertia to get it
going, and your stride does the rest of the
work." While the treadmills do not generate any
energy, they do not require any other source of
energy to operate. Patrick spent 20 energy-free
minutes on the treadmill, which would have equated
to about 600 watts USED on a non-green treadmill.
Patrick also used the stationary bike, which
utilizes the energy expended during the workout to
generate energy, measured in watt-hours
(WH). Those watt-hours are sent to a generator
which can then be used to power other
electronics. At a flat rate with minimal resistance,
the bike generates roughly 1 WH per each hour. By
increasing the resistance, the bike generates more
watts-per-hour as a result of increased effort.
Throughout the competition, between the bike and
the treadmill, Patrick put in 100 miles on the
energy-sustaining equipment; generating a total of
125 WH. To put this in perspective, 60 WH can
power a 60-watt light bulb for 1 hour. By simply
switching the gym equipment, the energy that
Patrick generated this week could power a 60-watt
light-bulb for over two hours.
Energy Sustaining Gym Equipment
12
Conclusion
By realizing how important it is to our world to utilize renewable resources in place
of non-renewable resources, our research evidences that USF St. Petersburg has realizes this
as well, and continually acts on this realization through the adoption of technologies into the
day-to-day function of faculty and staff. Their alignment to the U.S. Green Building
Council, which lead to their gold certified buildings allows the newer(and future) buildings
to function with a green conscience. Their collaboration with Duke Energy with their
innovative large-scale solar panels, in conjunction with the Tesla battery reserve, could lead
to research that points the world in a positive direction in terms of economics as well as
green initiatives. The net-zero treadmills, and energy-generating ellipticals and stationary
bikes could turn gyms into energy farms, if the world follows in USF St. Petersburg’s
footsteps.
Annotated Bibliography
"2014 Renewable Energy Data Book." 2015. US Department of Energy. 1 November
2015. <http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/64720.pdf>.
This resource is a government website that has data about energy consumption. This
report is an annual report about energy consumption and was made in 2015 for the year
2014. It has data about the energy consumption, broken down by traditional energy supplies
and renewable energy. It gives data about the yearly consumption and capacities of energy
sources, growth in usage, and new sources. The comparison data about renewable energy
resources, their capacity, and their growth in usage compared to other resources and the
previous years will give us important background information about solar energy and its
growth.
Boatwright, Josh. "Duke Energy unveils solar power project at USF St. Pete." 20 May
2015. The St. Petersburg Tribune. 9 November 2015. <http://www.tbo.com/pinellas-
county/duke-energy-unveils-solar-power-project-at-usf-st-pete-20150520/>.
This is a news article about the Duke Energy solar panel project at USFSP. It gives
an overview of the project and talks about what the goals are for the project. This article
helps us to understand the capacity of the projects, what it can do for both our school and
community, and a few important facts that we can use when describing this project in our
paper.
"Boston University offers pedal power to charge electronics." 31 March 2015. Boston
Globe. 4 November 2015. <https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/03/30/boston-
university-offers-pedal-power-charge-
electronics/va7Wfg09j7DNVTxmLxCeJJ/story.html>.
This article has information about electricity producing bikes at Boston
University. The technology that is being used is the same as USFSP's gym equipment. It is
an example of how other universities are using the same technology that USFSP is currently
utilizes. This article provides further insight on this specific green technology and helps us
to understand how it works, and how other colleges besides ours are implementing it.
13
"Boston University offers pedal power to charge electronics." 31 March 2015. Boston
Globe. 4 November 2015. <https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/03/30/boston-
university-offers-pedal-power-charge-
electronics/va7Wfg09j7DNVTxmLxCeJJ/story.html>.
This article has information about electricity producing bikes at Boston
University. The technology that is being used is the same as USFSP's gym equipment. It is
an example of how other universities are using the same technology that USFSP is currently
utilizes. This article provides further insight on this specific green technology and helps us
to understand how it works, and how other colleges besides ours are implementing it.
Pierce, Erin R. "Top 6 Things You Didn't Know About Solar Energy." 22 June 2012. Energy.gov. 30
October 2015. <http://energy.gov/articles/top-6-things-you-didnt-know-about-solar-energy>.
This article contains a few general facts about solar energy, which have important statistics about
solar energy. A few of the facts detail how much solar energy the Earth is struck by, how much
energy the world uses, how solar energy was first used, and also the increase in solar energy usage
within the last few years.
"Tesla Battery Being Used In Duke Energy Florida & University of South Florida Solar Project." 29 May
2015. Clean Technica. 9 November 2015. <http://cleantechnica.com/2015/05/29/tesla-battery-used-
duke-energy-florida-university-south-florida-solar-project/>.
This article gives information about the solar energy project, such as what it is and how it will help
with solar energy research. It is mainly about the storage technology being installed in the parking
garage. It has quotes from the president of Duke Energy Florida and the USFSP Regional
Chancellor on the matters of the partnership between USFSP and Duke Energy, and details all of the
technologies that the solar energy will be used for in the parking garage. This article also discusses
the Tesla “powerpack” storage units, what they are, and what their life span is.
Tinti, Emily. "Erasing The Campus Carbon Footprint." 21 September 2015. The Crowe's Nest. 7 November
2015. <http://crowsneststpete.com/2015/09/21/erasing-the-campus-carbon-footprint/>.
This article is about the Green Movement at USFSP. It has information about their ultimate goal of
achieving a “net zero carbon footprint.” It details their goal for climate neutrality, and the minor
goals they have created in order to help them achieve this. It introduces David Vasquez, the
Secretary of Sustainable Initiatives, Chair of the CERCC, and Chair of the SGEFC. Vasquez details
their specific plans for the Green Movement at USFSP, specifically the “Food Forest” they plan to
install behind Residence Hall One.
14
"Your Guide to Renewable Energy." 2015. Renewable Energy Sources.com. 1 November
2015. <http://www.renewable-energysources.com/>.
This website details the different types of renewable energy sources, advantages and disadvantages
of them, and also some data. There is a cost comparison of energy sources chart that lists the prices
in kiloWatts per hour for each different type of energy, both renewable and nonrenewable. The
article provides a realistic goal for where we should be with non-renewable energy in the near
future, and gives us the proper data to help analyze those decisions.
"Sustainability: LEED Certified Green Buildings." Sustainability. University of South Florida St.
Petersburg, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. <http://www.usfsp.edu/sustainability/green-buildings/>
The sustainability section of the USFSP website contains information on the LEED certified green
buildings at USFSP. This source explains how the Science and Technology Building and the
University Student Center buildings are LEED Gold Certified. The page also lists the green features
of each buildings, including features such as energy efficientcy, roof that reduces heat, and even that
the building materials were made of 20% recycled content. This page helps to show how USFSP
became a green campus, and the exact features of each building that make them “green”.
LEED. "This Is LEED." LEED | Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. U.S. Green Building
Council, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
<http://leed.usgbc.org/leed.html?gclid=CPKA4eyqgckCFdgOgQod3CYEoQ>
This webpage describes what LEED is; the most widely used green building rating system in the
world. LEED certification focuses on assessing a building or neighborhoods green features with the
goal of benefitting people, planet, and profit. LEED certification is explained, as the article details
all of the nine areas that are judged when a building is attempting to become LEED certified. The
article also explains what the different levels of LEED certification are. Based on how many points
the building scores in the previously mentioned nine categories, they get a certain numerical score.
This numerical score determines if the building will be classified as LEED certified, LEED silver,
LEED gold, or LEED platinum. There are also some statistics about LEED certified buildings, and
even non certified buildings and how they differ from certified ones.
U.S. Green Building Council. "About USGBC." USGBC. U.S. Green Building Council, n.d. Web. 08 Nov.
2015. <http://www.usgbc.org/about>.
This online source contains a description of the U.S. Green Building Council, which is the company
responsible for LEED certifications. It details what exactly LEED is, and provides some statistics on LEED
Certified buildings, such as how many square feet are certified worldwide each day. It also explains the
credentials one must meet in order to be considered for a LEED certification. The U.S. Green Building
Council’s mission statement is also included on this page, as well as the company’s vision.
