Search: Student Projects, Energy

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PROPOSED PROJECT: a visible dashboard in UC Berkeley website – The University does not currently have an integrated system to manage information relevant to GHG emissions generated by campus activities. Data collection from some potentially important sources (e.g., campus fleet, commute, air travel) is manual and often in terms of cost. This is particularly true for air travel, where there is no system that tracks air travel trips or mileage. Also, information on different GHG emissions sources is not integrated. It was not until we performed the inventory that we realized the relative size of the different sources of emissions on campus. This is typical of most institutions given that climate change mitigation is a fairly recent interest.

PROPOSED PROJECT: fund graduate students to work with CCAR to improve the GHG reporting standards based on UCB experience and research.

PROPOSED PROJECT: Currently all electricity is paid for by the central campus, and only some of the buildings are metered. This project would reduce energy consumption by creating financial incentives for departments to identify wasted energy, and adjust their practices to reduce energy consumption. A metering and data collection system would be established (using UC Berkeley technology), followed by a period over which baseline data would be collected. After establishment of the baseline, some type of incentive program would be established. For example: (1) Cap-and-trade program, or (2) Provide financial incentives to departments for reductions from baseline energy consumption (i.e., return 50% of electricity savings directly to the department).

PROPOSED PROJECT: Transportation and Parking Services has the dual charter of providing alternative transportation and ensuring adequate parking for faculty, staff and students. These opposing priorities have become significant and stable barriers to any alternative transportation program. Developing new policies to reduce single occupancy vehicle commuters, and consequently emissions, would be a political debate for this campus. Yet the benefits to discouraging single drivers is significant, ranging from extensive costs savings related to parking infrastructure, to reduced traffic congestion in the local community, to a safer, more pedestrian friendly campus. The following strategies can help. - Alternate funding sources for Parking – The University could partly decouple debt-financing on parking structures from permit sales. If alternative funding sources can be made available, or if more uncertainty can be accepted in permit sales, then there will be greatly improved flexibility in the transportation manager’s ability to alter the incentive structure for drivers to find alternatives. - No New Net Parking Spaces – Successfully implemented on the UCLA campus, capping the total number of parking spaces is a very effective way to ensure less debt requirements. If supply is restricted, emissions will inevitably stabilize as opposed to continually increasing along with campus growth. Instead of investing in new parking structures, the University could put money into improving bicycle infrastructure, bus routes and other transportation alternatives. Additionally, pursuing housing developments for students and faculty in close proximity to campus, as the LRDP currently does, will allow the campus to grow without the need for additional parking spaces.

PROPOSED PROJECT: Work with administrators at other UC schools and the UCOP to lobby the state legislature to address capital budget funding reform. – Although this may the most difficult recommendation to implement, it may also be one of the most important as funding is probably the most important institutional barrier restricting emission reduction projects. UC Berkeley needs to work with other UC schools to push funding reform related to capital budget on two issues: - Allow the capital budget to borrow from the operating budget; - Ensure that bid reversions stay with the campus to fund energy efficiency components that may have been removed during value-engineering.

PROPOSED PROJECT: In addition to an overarching Office/director of Sustainability, awareness and coordination on the academic departmental level would be helpful in creating a culture of energy conservation that leads to reduced emissions by students and faculty. Every department needs a sustainability coordinator who is trained in principles of energy savings and can manage and communicate sustainability and GHG reduction data on a departmental level. These coordinators can disseminate information from the Directory of Sustainability (to be hired) and help implement mandates and policies created by administration and governing student bodies; they can also assess what types of policies are most effective.

PROPOSED PROJECT: Develop an online community which incorporates CalCAP experience in developing GHG inventories for different sources, and advertise this across the UC system. This wiki would become an interactive repository of best-practices for developing GHG inventories, and could ultimately be used to inform standards development.

PROPOSED PROJECT: The City of Berkeley passed Measure G in 2006, which calls for the city to reduce its carbon emissions. The City will soon begin collecting voluntary offsets payment from its residents for investment in local offset projects. These projects will invest this money into local programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, investment in the “Solar Schools” program is one such idea. If UC Berkeley were to join this program, it could contribute to the offset fund, and also benefit from some of the projects. UC Berkeley students could help to get this project off of the ground.

Project to continue the highly successful Green Campus Program. For the last three years, this program has coordinated three light bulb exchanges, hosted Blackout Battles among campus residence halls to reduce energy, and displayed showrooms of best sustainable practices in The Green Room, The Green Suite, and The Green Apartment. This program is estimated to have generated about $100,000 in electrical energy savings so far. Need: $5,000, 80% funded