Campus+Energy+Consumption

=Campus Energy Consumption= Chris Aram



The school, university and college represent the cutting edge in technology and research development. They set the trends and usually end up becoming the hotbed and pacemaker for new ideas and concepts. This is not always the case however. As energy prices skyrocket, and the energy supply starts to decline, the cost of keeping a campus supplied with enough resources to keep going will be substantially hampered. This is already happening here at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with our increased growth and addition of two new facilities. The graph in the upper right portion of the collage shows the history of our campus energy use. There was an initiative in the mid 90’s which did reduce the consumption even with the addition of newer facilities. But over time, consumption is up and at an all-time high. With the recent addition of the EMPAC and ECAV, our campus energy consumption has only risen even further. The current trajectory for energy use is upward unless we can develop better energy strategies for enhancing our future here at RPI.

The ultimate solution is to cease consumption altogether, however this is not a viable option in this era of time. Let’s talk about improvements instead. Where is there opportunity for improvement? Our campus at one point did have energy initiatives; a sector of the VCC was powered by a solar array outside the building, but this array is no longer there. It was a symbolic structure which powered twenty-five computers, producing 2kW of power.

//Rensselaer has installed a photovoltaic (PV) system with 32 PV panels next to the Voorhees Computing Center, providing about 2 kw of electricity to the VCC (enough to run about 25 computers). The innovative system moves with the sun, both throughout the day and with the seasons. (You can view a computer animation of its motion).[1] During the 2001 summer heat wave, when Rensselaer's cost for electricity was five to ten times higher than normal, the PV system was continuously reducing the Institute's electric demand. (rpi.edu)//

Where there’s an increase in energy cost, the solar system can help alleviate energy demand. The system obviously cannot supply enough energy to the entire campus, but can we apply better methods of energy conservation? Of course we can, it just depends on how much RPI wishes to spend on the development of a more sustainable path.

Computers:
On average, a computer can consume 100 to 200 watts of energy and a LCD screen can consume up to 100 watts of power depending on the technology. Multiply this by the number of computers running within our college campus and we run into a serious energy consumption problem.

According to the Help Desk website, the library has 27 computers accessible to students. If these computers are running 24/7 without aggressive power management, they will consume 129,600 watts (129.6kW) of energy per day. This accumulates to 47,304 kW a year for 27 computers all within the library. This is the worst case scenario at 200 watts per workstation. If the computer isn’t in use, then why is it on? I can point to various workstations at the Voorhees Computing Center (VCC) which are not in use and are still powered on. There should be a better method of developing power states for these computers. What is required is a system which can develop patterns based on history of use, then selectively turn on or off computers based on need. Education as to best practices for students would also be advised. As the campus removes itself from a desktop centered environment it largely revolves around students to adhere to stricter power management standards when using (or not using) their computer and peripherals.

**Structures & Buildings:**
Sage is the prime example of what is wrong with the power consumption (even waste) problem we have on campus. The system was constructed and built in a period of theoretical energy abundance, when waste did not matter. This is why Sage and other buildings like it have become a problem for campus energy concern. Windows are left open in the middle of winter due to the overabundance of heat that our system produces. In some instances air conditioners are turned on in the middle of winter due to overzealous heating. The worst offenders of energy use come from our research facilities. The heavy and expensive equipment consume absurd amounts of electricity, but perhaps the systems can be controlled in such a way that would allow for better power management. Buildings like Sage, Muller Center and the Union all pale in comparison to that of CII, JEC and other labs. The role that these smaller consumers can make however is profound. The left portion of the collage shows the yearly usage for the EMPAC, Muller Center and RPI Union. A glimpse of energy use is graphed over the course of two weeks from October 11th through November 1st. The results are troubling, as the graphics indicate increased use across the board. Ideally the data collected should be over the course of a year as to best generate an overall consumption increase or decrease. Lighting is also a problem. Lights are of course one of man’s best creation, however the problem is, students and faculty leave lights on even when the use of space has been finished. Instead of using natural light, lights are kept on during the day, so obviously there is a room for improvement.

**Solutions:**
Students need feedback and constant awareness of their consumption. This is what one of the SSTF studies determined through their own research.

//“The likelihood of students taking responsibility to live up to this potential depends on their awareness of the problems. Awareness comes simultaneously from relevant incorporation into classes and from living in a community that itself is aware and active. This means research, education, operations, and culture”// (Bendix, Carlson, Parks, and Marquis )

This is backed up by other independent research on Dormitory residents and real-time feedback & incentives.

//Overall, the introduction of feedback, education and incentives resulted in a 32 percent reduction in electricity use (amounting to savings of 68,300 kWh, $5,107 and 148,000 lbs of CO2 2) but only a 3 percent reduction in water use. Dormitories that received high resolution feedback were more effective at conservation, reducing their electricity consumption by 55 percent compared to 31 percent for low resolution dormitories.// (Petersen, Shunturov, Jand, Plat, and Weinberger 16-33)

Creating awareness to the problems helps to bring about solutions for these problems; so educating students and faculty would be the first step to pushing for a more energy conscious future.

History based solutions make sense. Using history and patterns can help develop systems which best control the energy use of the various sub systems on campus. When a room isn’t occupied why is it being heated and why are the computers powered on? Using our scheduling system tied in with evaluative heuristics which can ultimately determine and create patterns of usage. Adding multiple layers of complexity allow for finer control over energy usage.

These kinds of observations would determine what systems be deployed for which area. For example, the library computers aren’t being used for CAD or Photoshop purposes, so why are they power hungry Intel Core 2 Duo computers? If all they use the computer for is general internet browsing along with looking up resources through RenSearch they can easily get away with a less powerful, but more efficient computing solution. If areas of the library aren’t widely used, then allow the computer workstations to be powered down or put into a lower power state. The same goes for the VCC; there are two computer labs in the VCC, workstations could be powered off or put to sleep when class is not in session instead of running idle and consuming power. Are lights even required in those classrooms when there is no class? These are questions that we need to ask ourselves as we develop and enhance our campus infrastructure to become more intelligent. Upfront investment saves in the long term, especially with the rise in energy costs. It would be infeasible to start from scratch, however, its better be proactive now rather than later; before it’s too late. Universities should beat the forefront of energy efficiency. They should use their technologies to promote them, as a viable alternative to other energy procurement. Set the example and the world will follow.

**Works Cited:**
Bendix, Bev, Andrew Carlson, Sarah Parks, and Robyn Marquis. "Sustainability at Rensselaer." n. page. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. .

Petersen, John, Vladislav Shunturov, Kathry Jand, Gavin Plat, and Kate Weinberger. "Dormitory residents reduce electricity consumption when exposed to real-time visual feedback and incentives." // International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education //. 8.1 (2007): 16-33. Web. 12 Dec. 2011. .

Student Sustainability Task Force,. "Mueller Center Daily Electric Usage." // STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY TASK FORCE //. STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY TASK FORCE, 02 Mar 2011. Web. .

Student Sustainability Task Force,. "EMPAC Right Daily Electric Use." // STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY TASK FORCE //. STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY TASK FORCE, 02 Mar 2011. Web. .

Student Sustainability Task Force,. "Mueller Center Daily Electric Usage." // STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY TASK FORCE //. STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY TASK FORCE, 02 Mar 2011. Web. .

rpi.edu "Tracking Photovoltaic System." // rpi.edu //. RPI, n.d. Web. .