Energy conservation seems to be a new obsession among today’s students
— and with good reason. With more and more evidence supporting global
warming, the need to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy
efficiency is becoming an ever more important aspect of life,
especially in a community as large and diverse as the University
of Washington.
While we already see many initiatives on campus to make the
community more sustainable and environmentally friendly — composting
stations, for example — projects like WashPIRG’s recent light-bulb swap
help the campus to become more energy efficient and reduce its
carbon footprint.
Seattle City Light, which recently helped fund WashPIRG’s light-bulb
swap, is becoming more involved in the UW’s drive to become more energy
efficient through their involvement in a new pilot program. Designed to
monitor energy use, Seattle City Light has chosen the UW Seattle campus
as a location to begin the use of experimental smart-grid
energy-conservation technology.
This $9.6 million project consists of controlling energy monitoring
equipment installed in two classrooms and two residence halls, as well
as installation of “smart” electric meters, increased communication
capabilities between building management systems on campus, and the
introduction of new data management technologies.
Part of the national $620 million project initiated by the U.S.
Department of Energy for Pacific Northwest Projects, the overall goal
of this project is to reduce energy costs for consumers, make the
national energy grid stronger and more reliable, and improve access to
clean and renewable energy sources in homes and businesses in
the Northwest.
Because electrical power used locally is shared throughout the
greater Pacific Northwest through the Northwest Power Pool (NWPP) and
distributed where it is needed, this initiative acts as a way to
improve energy transfer across the campus. This helps to reduce energy
consumption and increase distribution efficiency.
And because energy is shared throughout the NWPP, every kilowatt
hour conserved locally and on campus is one that does not need to be
manufactured and transported elsewhere within the Pacific Northwest.
Knowing where our energy use comes from helps to monitor the use of
more green energy sources — wind, hydropower, biomass, etc. — and
decreases our reliance on non-renewable energy sources. The benefits of
this program bring us closer to creating a green campus, where we limit
our carbon footprint while maintaining our sense of modernity.
The introduction of smart-grid technology propels us further along
the UW’s long road toward complete sustainability. Along with
composting stations and the light-bulb swap, this new addition to the
university’s artillery of energy-efficient initiatives brings us ever
closer to the goal of becoming a sustainable, low-emission community.
Reach columnist Emily McFadden at opinion@dailyuw.com.
