We’re No. 1.
The Environmental Protection Agency is recognizing the University of Denver for being the largest “green power” purchaser in the Sun Belt Conference — a “conference championship” when it comes to sustainability.
Over the course of the EPA’s 2010–2011 College and University Green Power Challenge, DU purchased some 15 million kilowatt-hours of power generated from renewable sources, or about 34 percent of the school’s power usage, according to the EPA.
The agency estimates that purchase is equivalent to eliminating the atmospheric carbon dioxide release from the electricity use of more than 1,000 homes over the course of a year, or the equivalent of the carbon dioxide release of 2,000 cars in a year.
“The purchase of REC’s (Renewable Energy Credits) helps to lower our carbon footprint, thereby factoring into our ability to meet the objective set forth in our Climate Action Plan of a 24-percent carbon reduction by 2020 and carbon neutrality by 2050,” says DU energy engineer Tom McGee.
McGee says the University’s most recent purchase will help offset costs associated with development of wind power in Texas. The credits were purchased from NextEra Energy Resources, North America’s largest producer of wind and solar power.
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