“no annual net emissions of global warming
gases to the atmosphere from buildings,
transportation, travel, land use and processes
under the entity’s control.”
In September 2008, Cornell assembled
a consultant team to draft a Climate Action
Plan that would become its blueprint for
achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI) served
as Cornell’s technical consultants and
project team leader in developing the
plan over the next year. Joining AEI were
Energy Strategies LLC and transportation
consultants Martin/Alexiou/Bryson PC.
The plan was funded in part by a grant from
the New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority (NYSERDA).
When Cornell first signed on to the
ACUPCC, popular perceptions of carbon
reduction were occupied with energy
conservation behaviors and technologies,
including more efficient HVAC systems,
lighting upgrades and retrofits, improved
building energy use standards and user
conservation outreach. A year later,
however, the price of a gallon of gas
exceeded four dollars – a bellwether number
in a period of widespread commodity fuel
cost volatility. Aware of the challenges
posed to institutions by dependence on
uncontrollable resources, Cornell’s climate
action planning team understood the need
to address campus energy and carbon issues
for the long term. Like the sustainability
movement as a whole, the team enlarged its
focus beyond reducing energy consumption
to include more aggressive carbon-lowering
measures on the energy supply side.
Cornell’s first step toward developing
the Climate Action Plan was to complete an
inventory of campus greenhouse gas
emissions. This inventory considered the
on-site combustion of fossil fuels; purchased
electricity consumption; institution-funded
air travel; and the commuting of students,
faculty and staff. As the base inventory for
the Climate Action Plan, Cornell’s fiscal
year 2008 carbon footprint was estimated at
319,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent
(CO2e) emissions associated with fossil
fuel consumption, including CO2, nitrous
oxide and methane. Air travel accounted
for 8 percent of the total; commuting,
9 percent; and purchased energy, 27 percent.
(This assumed that purchased energy was
converted to fossil fuel consumption at the
grid power plant source and rolled into the
carbon footprint.)
Meanwhile, on-site combustion
accounted for 56 percent of Cornell’s
greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to that
produced by 3,000 truckloads of coal. Indeed,
coal has been the primary fossil fuel used
to generate steam for heating most Cornell
buildings. In 2008, the Ithaca campus burned
more than 65,000 tons of coal with an
associated carbon footprint of 154,000 metric
tons. The other significant fuel used, natural
gas, had a carbon footprint of 19,000 metric
tons. The remainder of on-site combustion
was comprised of gas, diesel, miscellaneous
oil and propane fuels, with an associated
carbon footprint of 5,000 metric tons.
Armed with Cornell’s greenhouse
gas inventory data, the team embarked on
developing the Climate Action Plan in
September 2008 using a year-long, five-stage
process (see sidebar). It was a comprehensive
effort that engaged external consultants,
community members, subject matter
experts and a broad spectrum of Cornell
stakeholders. The resulting plan, approved
by Cornell’s board of trustees in September
2009, called for action in five major
categories:
•;Green;development – Improved land
use, more effective use of building space
and higher energy standards for new
construction.
•;Energy;conservation – Renovations of
lighting, heating and air-conditioning
systems; education of campus users about
conservation practices; and development
of a smart grid that will improve campus
electrical load management.
•;Transportation – Promotion of mass
transportation, reduction of single-
occupancy vehicle use for commuting and
business travel, and the establishment of
higher fuel-efficiency standards for fleet
vehicles.
The Lion’s Share
Considering that 56 percent of Cornell’s
greenhouse gas inventory derives from
on-site combustion, the greatest opportunity
for carbon emission reductions – as well as
exposure to commodity fuel price volatility –
exists in the fuel mix and renewable category
of actions. In figure 1, the sharp descent
from 2009 to 2010 of the “Current Path
Without Climate Action Plan” line reflects
the initial operations of Cornell’s CHP plant,
which was projected to generate between 70
and 85 percent of the electricity needed for
the campus. By switching fuel sources from
coal to natural gas, and producing heat and
electricity together, the facility alone reduces
campus coal use by 80 percent and associated
carbon emissions by 20 percent. (The plant’s
Solar Titan 130 combustion turbines can run
on either natural gas or fuel oil and, in the
future, perhaps liquid biofuels.)
