Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee pledged to cease the university’s carbon emissions within the next 40 years, but a university energy official said he is not sure how that can be accomplished.
OSU depends on fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, for more than 90 percent of its energy.
“We don’t know how we’re going to get it all the way to (carbon) neutrality,” said Ross Parkman, senior director of OSU Utilities, Energy Services and Sustainability. “We’re kind of stuck on fossil fuels right now.”
In the past five years, the university has cut its fossil-fuel use by 0.2 percent — from 91.1 percent in fiscal year 2006 to 90.9 percent in fiscal year 2010 — according to data from Utilities, Energy Services and Sustainability.
“We’ve got to move away, but it’s very costly,” Parkman said.
Gee signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in spring 2008, vowing to make OSU carbon-neutral by 2050. To do that, Parkman said the university would need to “completely eliminate the use of fossil fuels.”
Although the data indicate a lack of progress toward neutrality, Gee said he expects the university to be able to meet his deadline.
“The immediate data do not reflect the kinds of infrastructure efforts that we’re putting in place,” Gee said in a meeting with The Lantern editorial board Wednesday. “It takes a long time to get yourself into place.”
Chris Skovron, president of OSU Students for a Sustainable Campus, said the university’s timeline to reach carbon neutrality is reasonable but won’t be easy to achieve.
“The big question is, ‘Can we follow through on that?'” he said.
One way to reduce emissions is by using more fuel-efficient campus vehicles. Parkman said vehicles account for much of the university’s fuel consumption.
OSU also plans to obtain 25 percent of its energy from renewable and alternative sources by 2025, Parkman said.
“If you’re trying to get rid of CO2, renewable is the best energy source, then alternative,” he said.
One way the university plans to reach that goal is to make the McCracken Power Plant, which produces about 85 percent of the university’s heat, more energy efficient.
Now, the electricity OSU purchases from American Electric Power Co. Inc. is produced with a 30- to 50-percent fuel efficiency, Parkman said, meaning that 50 to 70 percent of the energy produced by the fuel is wasted in the process.
At the power plant, fuel burns to create steam, which turns a turbine, generating electricity. Afterward, the steam cools and condenses in a cooling tower.
“When you turn the steam back into water, you’re throwing away energy,” Parkman said.
Converting McCracken to a combined heat-and-power plant would produce energy at 70- to 85-percent fuel efficiency, Parkman said, reducing the amount of fuel required to produce the energy.
“When you have combined heat and power, you take that steam that you’re done with when it comes out of the turbine, and you use it for heat,” Parkman said. “You don’t throw it away.”
That would reduce carbon emissions and save the university money, he said.
“It has a positive net present value, which means it would eventually pay for itself,” Parkman said. “But it’s a huge economic commitment.”
The estimated cost for that type of plant was $135 million in 2000, Parkman said. The university expects to receive an updated estimate in November.
OSU paid nearly $57 million for energy in fiscal year 2010, including more than $26 million for fuel oil and about $30.8 million for electricity, according to data from Utilities, Energy Services and Sustainability. Approximately 77 percent of the university’s electricity came from fossil fuels.
OSU has taken some steps in recent years to become a more sustainable campus with initiatives such as its Green Build and Energy Policy, which set efficiency standards for university construction, and the certified “green” Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. Geothermal wells will also be used for power heating and cooling systems in several residence halls on campus.
Skovron said he is confident that the university will follow through with the commitment, but “we just need all parties to be committed enough for us to continue our progress.”
Gee said he remains committed to making OSU a more sustainable campus.
“I think it’s not only important,” Gee said. “I think it’s essential for us in terms of becoming much more self-sustaining as a university.”
