Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Professional Writing
Patrick Phillips
ENC 3250.794
Jacquelyn Pica
John Price
Dakota Skipper
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ______________________________________________________ pg. 3
Introduction_____________________________________________________________ pg. 4
Why do we need to find energy alternatives? __________________________________ pg. 5
USFSPs Green Movement Goals____________________________________________ pg. 6
- Net Zero Energy Usage
- Carbon Neutrality
- Groups and Programs
Green Certified Buildings__________________________________________________ pg. 9
- LEED Gold Certification
- Green Building Features
- Kate Tiedemann College of Business
Parking Garage Solar Panels ______________________________________________pg.10
- DUKE Energy Grant
- Storage Potential
Energy Sustaining Gym Equipment__________________________________________pg.11
- Net Zero Equipment
- Energy Generating Equipment
Conclusion______________________________________________________________pg.12
Annotated Bibliography___________________________________________________
Executive Summary
Every day, we
turn our televisions
on, start our cars,
talk on cell phones,
and cook on stoves
or microwaves. The
energy that powers
these technologies
originate from a
variety of sources,
and while some are
infinite and
renewable, others
are
neither. Unfortunately, most of our world currently runs on fossil-based fuels. Fossil-based
fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) currently provide about 85% of all the energy use both in US
and worldwide (Your Guide to Renewable Energy).
These fossil based fuels, while necessary for modern life, are depleting at an alarming
rate. In order to combat this depletion, alternate energy sources must be researched, utilized,
and developed. Green energy alternatives are beginning to be used in everyday businesses;
universities, offices, and even homes. Although many people arent aware of the need for green
energy development, we are going to have to depend on these renewable energies in the not so
distant future.
Introduction
An increasing number of universities are picking up on this, and the University of South Florida
St. Petersburg is among those leading the pack. They have taken many steps in order to
establish themselves as a green and sustainable campus. The students and faculty are a driving
force in the local going-green community, and openly embrace technologies and process
changes that aid in the utilization of renewable resources in place of non-renewable
resources. The construction of the newer buildings for example, were not done without a
considerable amount of thought for the environment in their design and their post-construction
function.
The university is also involved in the utilization and research of innovative solar panels that
leverage clean efficient energy from the sun; as well as the purchase of earth-and-economic
friendly gym equipment so that the students can exercise with a green conscience. USF St.
Petersburg consciously stands with the earth as it aims to lower the need of these non-renewable
resources.
Given that energy alternatives need to be researched and utilized in order to provide for a
better future, USF St. Petersburg has pledged to achieve climate neutrality on campus by agreeing to
the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (Tinti 2015). In order to
achieve this overall goal, USFSP has broken it down into two separate categories: net zero power
usage and carbon neutrality.
Source: sftool.gov
Carbon Neutrality:
USF St. Petersburg has declared their
ultimate goal to be achieving a net zero carbon
footprint. David Vasquez, chairman of the CERCC,
shed light on this plan, and gave insight as to how
their goals will help not only our university, but also
our community. The members of the Clean Energy
and Resource Conservation Commission (CERCC)
are the brains behind most of the green energy
projects on campus. A few of the CERCCs goals
are to intellectually and practically lead the
sustainability movement at USFSP, and to
recommend investments to Student Government
that will most effectively reduce the Universitys
carbon footprint (Sustainability). Ideally, Vasquez
says "the goal is to get ALL of its energy sources by
technologies used on the campus, but if we can't
generate enough from our technologies, the plan is
to purchase energy credit from a remote source (a
set of solar panels across town, for example), to
offset the deficiency to meet that goal of 100%
carbon neutrality."
Storage Potential:
It is a 100-kilowatt system made up of an
impressive 318 solar panels, but its size is not the
only feature exclusive to USF. St. Petersburg. This
garage can continue utilizing the suns energy even
in the suns absence. This is credited to a prototype
battery on the ground floor of the parking garage
that is developed by Tesla Motors. These
innovative batteries absorb any excess energy
generated from the panels above, and keep up to
200-kilowatts on reserve to use in the suns
absence. This way, in the event of a cloudy day,
or after the sun goes down, the parking garage can
still operate on
clean energy.
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Conclusion
Annotated Bibliography
"2014 Renewable Energy Data Book." 2015. US Department of Energy. 1 November
2015. <http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/64720.pdf>.
This resource is a government website that has data about energy consumption. This
report is an annual report about energy consumption and was made in 2015 for the year
2014. It has data about the energy consumption, broken down by traditional energy supplies
and renewable energy. It gives data about the yearly consumption and capacities of energy
sources, growth in usage, and new sources. The comparison data about renewable energy
resources, their capacity, and their growth in usage compared to other resources and the
previous years will give us important background information about solar energy and its
growth.
Boatwright, Josh. "Duke Energy unveils solar power project at USF St. Pete." 20 May
2015. The St. Petersburg Tribune. 9 November 2015. <http://www.tbo.com/pinellascounty/duke-energy-unveils-solar-power-project-at-usf-st-pete-20150520/>.
This is a news article about the Duke Energy solar panel project at USFSP. It gives
an overview of the project and talks about what the goals are for the project. This article
helps us to understand the capacity of the projects, what it can do for both our school and
community, and a few important facts that we can use when describing this project in our
paper.
"Boston University offers pedal power to charge electronics." 31 March 2015. Boston
Globe. 4 November 2015. <https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/03/30/bostonuniversity-offers-pedal-power-chargeelectronics/va7Wfg09j7DNVTxmLxCeJJ/story.html>.
This article has information about electricity producing bikes at Boston
University. The technology that is being used is the same as USFSP's gym equipment. It is12
an example of how other universities are using the same technology that USFSP is currently
utilizes. This article provides further insight on this specific green technology and helps us
"Boston University offers pedal power to charge electronics." 31 March 2015. Boston
Globe. 4 November 2015. <https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/03/30/bostonuniversity-offers-pedal-power-chargeelectronics/va7Wfg09j7DNVTxmLxCeJJ/story.html>.
This article has information about electricity producing bikes at Boston
University. The technology that is being used is the same as USFSP's gym equipment. It is
an example of how other universities are using the same technology that USFSP is currently
utilizes. This article provides further insight on this specific green technology and helps us
to understand how it works, and how other colleges besides ours are implementing it.
Pierce, Erin R. "Top 6 Things You Didn't Know About Solar Energy." 22 June 2012. Energy.gov. 30
October 2015. <http://energy.gov/articles/top-6-things-you-didnt-know-about-solar-energy>.
This article contains a few general facts about solar energy, which have important statistics about
solar energy. A few of the facts detail how much solar energy the Earth is struck by, how much
energy the world uses, how solar energy was first used, and also the increase in solar energy usage
within the last few years.
"Tesla Battery Being Used In Duke Energy Florida & University of South Florida Solar Project." 29 May
2015. Clean Technica. 9 November 2015. <http://cleantechnica.com/2015/05/29/tesla-battery-usedduke-energy-florida-university-south-florida-solar-project/>.
This article gives information about the solar energy project, such as what it is and how it will help
with solar energy research. It is mainly about the storage technology being installed in the parking
garage. It has quotes from the president of Duke Energy Florida and the USFSP Regional
Chancellor on the matters of the partnership between USFSP and Duke Energy, and details all of the
technologies that the solar energy will be used for in the parking garage. This article also discusses
the Tesla powerpack storage units, what they are, and what their life span is.
Tinti, Emily. "Erasing The Campus Carbon Footprint." 21 September 2015. The Crowe's Nest. 7 November
2015. <http://crowsneststpete.com/2015/09/21/erasing-the-campus-carbon-footprint/>.
This article is about the Green Movement at USFSP. It has information about their ultimate goal of
achieving a net zero carbon footprint. It details their goal for climate neutrality, and the minor
goals they have created in order to help them achieve this. It introduces David Vasquez, the
Secretary of Sustainable Initiatives, Chair of the CERCC, and Chair of the SGEFC. Vasquez details
their specific plans for the Green Movement at USFSP, specifically the Food Forest they plan to
install behind Residence Hall One.
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