Albany – State University of
New York Chancellor John R. Ryan today issued a comprehensive report from the
SUNY Energy Task Force containing recommendations that will propel SUNY into a
national leadership role in energy sustainability, education, technology,
economics and public policy through a transformational integration of practice,
teaching, and research.
"I applaud SUNY's strong
commitment to reducing pollution through smarter energy use. SUNY will
lead the way in showing how investments in energy efficiency can help the
environment and the bottom line," said Senator Clinton who supports SUNY’s
role as a model for alternative energy and conservation.
“As one of the largest energy
users in New York State, SUNY has a responsibility to act now to reduce energy
consumption, increase its use of renewable energy resources and leverage its
vast intellectual resources to help address the energy challenges facing New
York and the Nation,” said Chancellor Ryan.
Chancellor Ryan said, “All of
us at SUNY commend the members of the Energy Task Force for their hard work in
developing realistic solutions to complex problems and for emphasizing the need
to expand on the good work being done on all our campuses.”
The chancellor also noted
that SUNY has reduced its energy use per square foot by more than 38 percent
compared to 1973-74, SUNY’s cumulative cost avoidance through 2005-06 exceeded
$1 billion, and SUNY has invested more than $100 million in energy conservation
since 1992, and currently has $80 million in energy conservation projects in
design or construction.
Energy Task Force Co-Chair
and SUNY ESF President Neil B. Murphy Jr., said, “"The issue of
transforming society from a petroleum carbon base to a renewable energy base
together with the associated global warming implications, is one of the most
important challenges of the 21st century. I am excited that
SUNY is prepared to take a leadership position."
Energy Task Force Co-Chair
and SUNY Morrisville President Raymond W. Cross said, "The State University
of New York is taking bold and aggressive steps to lead the nation in
conserving energy, producing and using green energy, performing energy
research, and educating the public about energy-related issues. This
effort will have a positive impact on all New Yorkers."
Energy Task Force member and
SUNY Faculty Senate President Carl P. Wiezalis said, “The transformational
opportunities outlined in the report will enable SUNY students and faculty to
address the challenges of renewable energy head on. At the same time SUNY
faculty are pleased to participate in meeting the aggressive conservation
goals. Working together, we will have a very positive impact on our
environment.”
The Task Force outlined goals
for SUNY in areas of conservation and sustainability, transformational
opportunities, and management and planning.
Conservation/Sustainability
Goals
for conservation and sustainability identified by the Task Force include:
§ Establish campus
targets for reduction of energy use by 2010, so total University energy use is
37 percent lower than 1989-90 use,
§ Cap green house
gas emissions at current levels and decrease emissions 20 percent by 2014,
§ Increase the use
of renewable energy purchased or generated on campus to 30 percent by 2014,
§ Develop five new
combined heat and power (CHP) projects by 2010, and
§ Design and
construct new buildings or rehabilitate existing buildings using Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria and life-cycle-cost analysis.
Transformational
Opportunities
Specific Transformational
Opportunities for advancing SUNY’s educational mission in energy and the
environment include:
§ Creating and
improving academic programs to address the current and future challenges
associated with the energy, environment and economic nexus,
§ Developing work
force programs at the technical level and through continuing education programs
to meet the needs of energy users, energy service companies, regulators, and
public and investor-owned utilities,
§ Expanding
energy-related research to achieve national leadership in the development of
renewable energy, conservation, and the efficient use and conversion of energy,
§ Raising
awareness by utilizing the capabilities of SUNY to educate students, faculty,
staff, local community and global community about the nexus between energy and
the environment, and
§ Building
strategic alliances with public and private sector partners by providing
research and analysis to regulators, elected officials, private industry and New York’s
citizens.
Management
and Planning
Specific
management and planning goals identified by the task force include:
§ Optimize
“System-ness” by encouraging and facilitating greater inter-campus
communication and cooperation regarding best practices, campus-based
initiatives and externally funded projects.
§ Procure energy
and fuels at the lowest cost, while managing price risk in accordance with a
prudent, clearly defined and documented University Risk Management Policy that
utilizes financially sound market-based products.
In addition, the Task Force
identified areas of success, which are the foundation upon which SUNY will
build a new university-wide energy economic and educational paradigm.
Successful SUNY energy efforts identified by the Task Force included:
§ SUNY has reduced
its energy use per square foot by more than 38 percent compared to
1973-74,
§ The cumulative
cost avoidance through 2005-06 exceeded $1 billion, and
§ SUNY has
invested over $100 million in energy conservation since 1992, and currently has
over $80 million in energy conservation projects in design or construction.
SUNY Energy Facts
SUNY
is one of the largest energy users in New
York State.
§ The University’s
State-operated campuses contain more than 90 million overall gross square feet
in 2,829 buildings.
§ Total annual
energy consumption is approximately 11,445.9 trillion BTUs, the equivalent of
67,000 homes.
§ Projected
2006-07 utility costs are over $300 million, comprising nearly 10% of SUNY’s
core operating budget and, in many cases, 50% of a campus’ non personal
service-related expenditures.
To
view a copy of the report, please follow either of these links:
http://www.suny.edu/files/sunynewsFiles/Pdf/energytaskforcereport.pdf
http://www.suny.edu/files/sunynewsFiles/txt/energytaskforcereport.txt
To
view a copy of the powerpoint, please follow this link:
http://www.suny.edu/files/sunynewsFiles/ppt/ENERGYTASKFORCE.ppt
The State University of New
York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States,
educating more than 417,500 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs
on 64 campuses.
