Additional Information on Report Card Metrics

SUNY and an Energy-Smart New York

Energy-Smart Invention Disclosures

The technology transfer offices of The Research Foundation (RF) work on behalf of the State University of New York (SUNY) and its researchers to identify, protect, and commercialize the university’s intellectual property portfolio.

To track the technology transfer activity across the system, The Research Foundation Central Office currently works with the technology transfer offices to receive quarterly and annual data related to the activity at the campuses. The data that is collected are common measurements used to measure technology transfer activity and are based on the data points that are reported to the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) annually.

The SUNY Research Foundation: Power of SUNY Energy

Empire State Development, NYSTAR

Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)

Energy-Smart Research

The Research Foundation of SUNY (RF) administers externally funded contracts and grants on behalf of the State University of New York. Sponsored program expenditures are recorded in the RF Oracle business system by campus location and displayed in external reports by the RF fiscal year end (June 30) by the official campus short name list and grouped by the following (Total locations = 31):

• UniversityCenters and Doctoral Degree Granting Institutions (9 locations) – Albany’s CNSE is reported as a separate item.

• University Colleges (13 locations)

• Technology Colleges (8 locations)

• System Administration – Provost (1 location)

The SUNY Research Foundation

NYSERDA: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

U.S.Office of Energy, Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability

System Energy Consumption

Energy consumption measurement is based on fuels and electricity usage both purchased and self-generated. Fuels consumed by campuses are natural gas, electricity, heating oil, coal, wood, diesel oil. Electricity self-generated by renewable sources such as co-gen, wind, and solar projects on campuses is also collected.

Each energy source has a different heat conversion factor that can be converted via industry formulas to a common unit measurement such as the British Thermal Units (BTU). For large organizations such as SUNY, energy is measured in thousands of BTUs (MBTU) or millions of BTUs (MMBTU).

The energy use in BTU format is compared to the total outside gross square feet (OGSF) on each campus. The SUNY Construction Fund’s annual summary of the OGSF, is the source used for the campus measurement. The OGSF measurement of space includes the entire air space within a building including hallways, mechanical space and atriums. Paved parking areas are excluded from the calculations for energy consumption. As a campus grows their OGSF grows, but their BTU per sq. ft. efficiency can improve with proper energy management practices.

SUNY’s state operated campuses have been tracking energy use since 1973 as a result of the oil embargo and price spike.   Each campus is responsible for reporting their energy and fuel consumption by month on a no less than quarterly basis to the Office for Capital Facilities Energy Accountant.

On June 10, 2001 Governor Pataki issued Executive Order 111 setting energy conservation goals based the FY 1989/90. SUNY has tracked and gauged performance since then, and in FY 2008-09 SUNY achieved an 18.7% decrease in overall energy use. Since 1973, when SUNY began centrally recording the energy data, SUNY has achieved a 40% reduction in BTUs per sq. ft.

SUNY's Office of Sustainability

SUNY Construction Fund

Governor Pataki's Executive Order No. 111 - State Buildings and Vehicles Guidelines

System Carbon Footprint (MTCO2E)

Climate change has been linked to manmade emissions of greenhouse gases. These gases measured as MTCO2e are largely formed by burning fossil fuels for electrical power, industrial use and transportation. http://www.mtco2e.com/ Basically, these emissions cause some of the energy of the sun radiated back from the earth to be trapped in our atmosphere, thereby significantly altering the earth’s climate. In a recent scientific study survey analysis for the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, Dianne Dumanoski, an award-winning journalist and author, notes that recent scientific studies and report indicate that the earlier projections of man’s impact on climate change have been too conservative, and that the pace of oceans’ warming and ice sheets melting has only quickened.

SUNY needs to take action to reduce its impact on climate change by reducing its total emissions of MTCO2e.

SUNY’s annual MTCO2e emissions are called its carbon footprint. Numerous sources of emissions make up the carbon footprint. These include the fossil fuels used in our heating systems; fossil fuel used in SUNY owned vehicles; and fossil fuel used in generating the electricity and steam we purchase from others. Even the emissions created by the burning of fossil fuel used by students, staff, and faculty in commuting to and from the campus could be allocated to SUNY’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.

The SUNY Energy Management and Budgeting System (EMBS) using the actual energy sources (i.e. oil, coal, gas, hydro, nuclear, and renewable) used by our different campuses can calculate the total SUNY direct production of MTCO2e. SUNY has this data for the 29 state-operated campuses and is working to collect the data from our 30 community colleges.

SUNY cannot currently calculate and track the MTCO2e from indirect sources, like commuting. These calculations of emissions from indirect sources would need to be made at the campus level for each of our campuses and is not yet viable. Commuting is a major source of MTCO2e and is worthy of plans and programs to reduce it, but the data gathering is not possible without a significant cost and investment of time.

SUNY Energy Management and Planning

American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment

The White House: President Obama Sets Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Target for Federal Operations

United States Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report

SUNY Renewable Energy Production/Utilization (kWh)

Renewable electricity is generated by methods that result in zero or carbon neutral emissions. Renewable electricity is generated by hydro, solar, wind, geothermal and sustainable biomass. Renewable biomass fuels come from wood wastes or sustainable growth wood and plant products.   Liquid biofuels are biodiesel and ethanol produced from agricultural, forest products and on a smaller scale recycled food oil.

SUNY can generate renewable electricity onsite through the use of solar photovoltaic systems (PV), biomass to electricity, or wind turbines. PV collectors can be installed on buildings, on the ground, or over parking lots. Wind turbines can be installed on a few selected campuses that meet the wind and land requirements for wind generation. Biomass to electricity can be generated in engine generators fueled by methane from digesters or gasifiers and also by burning it in boilers to produce steam for use in steam turbine driven generators.

SUNY can purchase electricity generated through renewable sources by commodity contracts, also known as bilateral contracts in the electricity market. SUNY can also purchase renewable energy credits (REC), which represent validation that 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity was generated from an eligible renewable energy resource  These RECs must be from generating facilities in New York or prove they can deliver their renewable electricity into the New York state electricity grid.

Biofuels are available for our SUNY vehicles.

SUNY's Energy Research; Renewable & Alternative Fuels, Energy Production & Storage, Efficiency & Conservation

SUNY ESF's Center for Sustainability & Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy Assessment, New York State Energy Plan 2009

U.S. Energy Information Administration, How much of our electricity is generated from renewable energy?