(KCPW News) The University of Utah is being recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Green Power Challenge” for purchasing the third-largest amount of green electricity of all the colleges and universities in the competition. That amounts to more than 85 million kilowatt-hours, or an estimated 31 percent of the university’s total power consumption.
“Every semester that someone registers for classes at the University of Utah, they pay a dollar, and so that allows the university to buy renewable power with this money,” says Ashley Patterson, Outreach and Education Coordinator for the U of U’s Office of Sustainability.
She explains the program was initiated by students in 2004. It includes renewable energy credits purchased through Sterling Planet, mostly for wind power, and two small solar installations.
Patterson says when it comes to spending money on renewable energy, there are trade-offs between the different options.
“If we put more money into buying solar panels on campus, we’ll have less renewable energy coming onto the grid, but it’s perhaps more visual and educational,” says Patterson.
She says there will be another request for proposals process this summer for the university’s renewable energy program.
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Stop The Oil Companies from killing off alternative energy funding!!!!!
They bribed the elected officials to this week KEEP billions of dollars of our tax money pouring into the oil companies as free subsidies; even with record profits and gas pump prices!
Crucial Deadline Approaching: NOW is the time to make your voices heard loud and clear. Tell your Representatives to stand up for clean energy!
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, has set a deadline of MAY 13 for all Members of the House to submit their Appropriations.The Energy and Water Subcommittee appropriates funds to the Department of Energy, so this is YOUR CHANCE to influence DOE’s budget.
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Reps. Doyle (D-PA) and Larson (D-CT), are circulating a letter to Rep. Frelinghuysen in support of robust funding for the Department of Energy’s fuel cell and hydrogen energy programs – in both the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and in the Office of Fossil Energy – for Fiscal Year 2012. These programs are not earmarks. They are public/private partnerships in which industry has invested more than three dollars for every dollar of Federal funds.
ASK YOUR CONGRESSMEMBER TO SIGN THE DOYLE-LARSON APPROPRIATIONS LETTER TO REP. FRELINGHUYSEN.
Take action here today: http://capwiz.com/fuelcells/issues/alert/?alertid=45043501
The Appropriations Committee needs to hear from all of our Representatives – early and often. Together we can prevail, and ensure that clean energy is a core part in the nation’s energy portfolio.
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Send this to everyone you can. Post it on your facebook page. Copy this article a post it on your favorite blogs.
Don’t let OPEC and the oil companies own OUR DOE anymore!