CSU Seeks Stimulus Funding to Increase Energy IQ

Funding Would Launch Efficiency Projects at all 23 CSU Campuses

September 14, 2009

From the CSU Chancellor's Office

The California State University submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Energy for funding to install, demonstrate and study smart grid technology. The $77.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act federal funding would be combined with matching funds as part of the $155 million Energy IQ demonstration project.

CSU partners include industry leaders, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, EnerNOC, the California public and private utilities and Galvin Power.

The project will install advanced utility metering in 934 buildings at all 23 campuses. The equipment will give staff, faculty and system operators real-time information on energy use, which can be used to seek out and eliminate inefficiencies. These projects are expected to cut utility spending by 15 to 20 percent.

“Large universities, commercial buildings and industry use 80 percent of the electricity in California and the nation. CSU campuses are the perfect test sites for new grid technologies that can get energy use under control,” said Len Pettis, chief of plant, energy and utilities at the CSU Chancellor’s Office. “With campuses located in California’s deserts, shorelines and mountains, we can measure eIQ’s success in various settings. We can then educate our surrounding communities on the advantages of this technology.”

Once fully operational, the Energy IQ project will reduce campus energy usage by 90,000 megawatt hours per year, saving the CSU $20 million annually.

The smart grid also will allow the CSU to maximize the 44 megawatts of existing on-campus power generation. This includes 14 megawatts of solar power, and 30 megawatts of high efficiency heat and electricity cogeneration.

In total, the CSU plans to generate more than 60 megawatts of power from ultra-clean or renewable sources by 2011 – exceeding the 2014 goal set by the CSU Board of Trustees.

For more information regarding smart grid technology from the U.S. Department of Technology, go to their website.

Related Cal State Fullerton Stories:

Using Solar Power to Run the Campus

Cal State Fullerton Goes Green With Energy Efficiency, Building Design

Working To Build More Ecologically Friendly Campuses