| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 59.76 |
| Liaison | Lindsey MacDonald |
| Submission Date | June 6, 2023 |
Western Washington University
OP-6: Clean and Renewable Energy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.88 / 4.00 |
Ashley
Olson Data Ambassador Sustainability Engagement Institute |
Total energy consumption, performance year:
Clean and renewable electricity (report kilowatt-hours):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity from certified/verified clean and renewable sources (i.e., bundled green power purchases) | 0 Kilowatt-hours | 0 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, clean and renewable sources (rights retained/retired) | 7,614.00 Kilowatt-hours | 25.98 MMBtu |
A brief description of the certified/verified sources of clean and renewable electricity:
A brief description of the on-site renewable electricity generating facilities/devices:
WWU currently has installed a 2kW solar array on top of the Viking Union building paid for by a donation from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation . The array is visible from an adjoining plaza. A 5kW array has also been installed on the roof of the Environmental Studies building, paid for by the student-funded Sustainable Action Fund.
Clean and renewable thermal energy (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Clean and renewable stationary fuels used on-site to generate thermal energy | 0 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water from certified/verified clean and renewable sources | 0 MMBtu |
A brief description of the clean and renewable stationary fuels:
A brief description of the certified/verified sources of clean and renewable thermal energy:
Unbundled renewable energy products (report kWh):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Purchased RECs, GOs, I-RECs or equivalent unbundled renewable energy products certified by a third party | 15,476,285.47 Kilowatt-hours | 52,805.09 MMBtu |
A brief description of the unbundled renewable energy products:
Each year, WWU purchases 40,000 RECs from NextEra Energy, a subsidiary of Florida Power and Light. WWU’s REC are generated on the Endeavor Wind Farm in Iowa and fed into the MROW grid region. Our REC vendor was selected based on carbon offset impact as well as site environmental considerations. Western was the first institution on the nation to base REC purchases on this criteria (2007). Western purchases more RECs than needed to offset our carbon emissions from electricity consumption. As the number of RECs we buy has stayed static, our electricity use has decreased.
Total clean and renewable energy generated or purchased:
Percentage of total energy consumption from clean and renewable sources:
Website URL where information about the institution’s support for clean and renewable energy is available:
Electricity use, by source (percentage of total, 0-100):
| Percentage of total electricity use (0-100) | |
| Biomass | --- |
| Coal | 17.30 |
| Geothermal | --- |
| Hydro | 17.30 |
| Natural gas | 17.30 |
| Nuclear | --- |
| Solar photovoltaic | --- |
| Wind | 48 |
| Other (please specify and explain below) | --- |
A brief description of other sources of electricity not specified above:
We have two rooftop solar panels, however their contribution to electricity generation is minimal.
Energy used for heating buildings, by source::
| Percentage of total energy used to heat buildings (0-100) | |
| Biomass | --- |
| Coal | --- |
| Electricity | 3 |
| Fuel oil | --- |
| Geothermal | --- |
| Natural gas | 97 |
| Other (please specify and explain below) | --- |
A brief description of other sources of building heating not specified above:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Additional Info:
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership, a voluntary program that supports the organizational procurement of green power, ranked Western as 20th among all of higher education's renewable energy users for 2015.
Additional Info:
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership, a voluntary program that supports the organizational procurement of green power, ranked Western as 20th among all of higher education's renewable energy users for 2015.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.