Energy management and carbon footprint reduction are common goals among organizations of all industries making renewable energy and sustainability initiatives prevalent. Discussed within are objectives and strategies developed within Main Line Health, Empire State Building and University of Iowa.
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Renewable Energy & Sustainability Initiatives Case Studies: Healthcare, Higher Education & Owner
1. R e t a i n e d E x e c u t i v e S e a r c h
Construction
Facilities Management
Real Estate
Engineering
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Renewable Energy & Sustainability Initiatives
Case Studies: Healthcare, Real Estate & Higher Education
Energy management and carbon footprint reducKon are common goals among organizaKons of all industries making renewable
energy sources and sustainability iniKaKves prevalent. The following three case studies outline specific objecKves and strategies
developed within Main Line Health, Empire State Building and University of Iowa.
‐ by Sami L. Barry
‐ Main Line Health, Philadelphia, PA ‐ Sustainability Efforts:
In its commitment to the community, ML is incorporaKng pracKcal,
*Based on interview with Frank Cannon, Director of ConstrucKon sustainable design soluKons into their renovaKon and new
& Project Management and Douglas Williams, Director of Planning construcKon projects on all campuses. They have completed a
& Design LEED Gold cerKfied medical office building on one of their
campuses, and other LEED projects are now under construcKon.
Main Line Health is a healthcare organizaKon that consists of four Where possible, locally produced, recycled, and energy efficient
of Philadelphia’s acute care hospitals, Lankenau, Bryn Mawr, Paoli materials are specified for the buildings and surrounding site
and Riddle, as well as Bryn Mawr RehabilitaKon Hospital. areas.
Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Efforts:
Over twelve years ago, Main Line (ML) developed a procurement
process and entered into a "Master Energy Services Agreement"
pursuant to which energy audits were conducted at 100% of its
faciliKes. Following those audits, numerous energy conservaKon
and efficiency projects were implemented. As a result, there has
been minimal growth in energy consumpKon at ML's faciliKes.
During that same Kme, the organizaKon installed “real‐Kme”
energy meters to conKnually monitor consumpKon. Doing so has
allowed ML the ability to react to various market price signals and
respond accordingly. ML has parKcipated in PJM and local uKlity
demand response programs for the last seven years and was at the
Riddle Memorial Hospital New Medical Office Building, Media, PA
forefront of parKcipaKon of these types of programs. As energy
conservaKon and efficiency is an on‐going process, ML conKnually Specific iniKaKves include:
reviews its consumpKon as conservaKon and efficiency
technologies improve to ensure that energy is uKlized in the most Riddle Hospital Health Care Center IV
efficient manner.
ConstrucKon of an 80,000 SF medical office building at the Riddle
Beyond energy conservaKon, ML is also at the forefront of uKlizing Campus for physician pracKces, hospital funcKons and an
renewable energy sources. It will be purchasing 17% of the electric Ambulatory Surgery Center. The project was completed in
output of the 102 MW Locust Ridge II wind farm in November 2009 and they anKcipate LEED Gold CerKficaKon.
northeast Pennsylvania through 2020. These purchases are
projected to meet 35% to 40% of ML's electric requirements. In SITE PLANNING & DESIGN
addiKon to these wind purchases, the organizaKon has and will • Constructed on previously developed land within the Riddle
conKnue to evaluate solar power. They are now in the process of Hospital Campus limiKng damage to the environment.
evaluaKng localized distributed power opportuniKes such as • Over 50% of the building site contains naKve or adapKve
storage and cogeneraKon. These projects will increase ML's overall planKng, restoring previously developed land and promoKng
producKon efficiencies and support its goal to pursue the highest biodiversity.
level of energy efficiency, minimize its environmental impact and • Light colored roof reduces heat island effect and energy usage
move the organizaKon to a more sustainable energy supply future. associated with cooling loads.
2. WATER SITE PLANNING & DESIGN
• NaKve and drought resistant planKngs were used in lieu of an • Green (vegetated) roof miKgates storm water runoff.
irrigaKon system reducing the building’s potable water usage. • White roofing miKgates the urban heat island effect to reduce
• Uses 25% less water than comparable code compliant building. cooling loads.
• Parking garage landscaping reduces urban heat island effects.
ENERGY • Landscaping is drought tolerant.
• EsKmated to use 21% less energy than comparable code • Exterior lighKng produces li8le or no light polluKon.
compliant building. • 70 preferred parking spaces are being reserved for fuel
• 35% of building’s power from green power sources (solar, wind efficient and low‐eminng vehicles.
turbines, etc.).
WATER
MATERIALS & RESOURCES • Potable water consumpKon is esKmated to be reduced by
• Over 90% of construcKon waste diverted from disposal in more than 20%.
landfills. • IrrigaKon system is designed to reduce potable water
• 22% of building materials contain high levels of recycled consumpKon by 64% over typical systems.
content. • IrrigaKon system is esKmated to save 210,000 gallons of water
• 22% of building materials are regionally manufactured. per month during typical watering seasons.
• Interior finishes and materials contain low or no volaKle
organic compounds (VOCs). ENERGY
• Energy consumpKon is esKmated to decrease by 17% beyond a
code compliant building.
• Energy analysis models performed demonstrate decreased
energy usage.
MATERIALS & RESOURCES
• The construcKon team has integrated a waste management
plan that maximizes the amount of construcKon debris to be
recycled.
• “Green” concrete mixes uKlizing waste slag and/or fly ash are
esKmated to reduce energy producKon input.
Lankenau Medical Center, Lower Merion, PA • A minimum of 20% of construcKon materials have been
specified to come from recycled material.
Lankenau Medical Center Expansion • A minimum of 10% of construcKon materials has been
specified to be locally sourced and manufactured.
Overall Master Plan Project at Lankenau Campus includes • LighKng containing reduced levels of mercury has been
construcKon of a new 96‐bed paKent tower, new parking garage, specified.
new central uKlity plant, and other major renovaKons to the
campus. ConstrucKon is underway.
‐ Empire State Building, New York, NY ‐ “Clean energy and our nearly 40 percent reduced
consumpOon of waQs and BTUs gives us a
The Empire State Building (ESB) is a member of the Environmental compeOOve advantage in aQracOng the best
ProtecKon Agency’s Green Power Partnership. In support of its credit tenants at the best rents. Our program of
mulK‐year, $20M sustainability iniKaKve, the ESB signed on with innovaOon at the Empire State Building shows
Green Mountain Energy’s (GME) parent company, NRG Energy, for simple, replicable, non‐proprietary steps for other
a 100% renewable energy package. The 2.85 million square‐foot landlords to follow to be more energy efficient,
office building will purchase 100% wind power in the form of cleaner and greener.”
Renewable Energy CerKficates (RECs) in a two‐year contract
amounKng to nearly 55 million kilowa8 hours (kWh) of renewable ‐ Anthony E. Malkin, President of Malkin Holdings
energy each year. The energy plan will establish the ESB as New in a recent statement.
York City’s largest commercial purchaser of 100% renewable energy
by twofold. Based on EPA’s current rankings, it is expected to rank The project, primarily funded by energy and operaKonal savings, is
#18 on EPA’s naKonal Top 100% Green Power Purchaser List. As also expected to cut energy costs by $4.4 million annually and
well, it is GME’s biggest commercial purchaser in the company’s 13‐ reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 105,000 metric tons over the
year history. next 15 years according to the building’s website.
3. ‐ University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA ‐ In 2009 and 2010, University of Iowa
was the only university to be recognized
*Based on University of Iowa (UI) web site and interviews with by the EPA as one of the top 20 on‐site
Glen Mowery, Director of UKliKes & Energy Management and green power users with a rank of 15th in
Ferman Milster, Associate Director, UKliKes & Energy Management. the naKon.
Iowa has no acKve coal mines and no natural gas wells and
energy technology when UI planned an addiKon to its Cambus
therefore, all money spent on fuel leaves the state. In response, UI
Barn Maintenance Facility. When Mowery saw the design
developed an iniKaKve to use alternaKve fuels in the area for
which included a metal roof that slopes outward, he asked the
energy generaKon. In 2009 and 2010, it was the only university to
Director of Parking & TransportaKon to allow them to put an
be recognized by the EPA as one of the top 20 on‐site green power
alternate in their bid to have thin film photovoltaics applied
users with a rank of 15th in the naKon (2009 and 2010). On
directly to the metal roofing as it comes from the factory. The
October 29, 2010, UI’s President, Sally Mason, formally announced
bid came in more a8racKve than Mowery anKcipated and they
its Vision 2020 plan which included the primary goals of 40%
now have a whole roof system of thin film PV. The energy
renewable energy consumpKon on campus by 2020 and total
generated will exceed the needs of the barn so it will act as
consumpKon in 2020 to be less than consumpKon in 2010 despite
another generaKon source on the uKlity grid. A solar electric
growth.
car charging staKon is also currently under construcKon and
will provide charging spaces for approximately 20 electric
UI’s renewable energy program began as early as 2001 when
vehicles uKlized by the FaciliKes Management Department.
Quaker Oats approached UI with a new concept. The manufacturer
has a very large combinaKon mill and cereal producKon facility in
Cedar Rapids, 20 miles away from UI. It produces about 100,000
tons of oat hulls per year, which are the outer shell of the oat grain
leu over auer the food making process. They asked UI if they would
be interested in using their oat hulls as fuel and within two years,
UI had successfully retrofi8ed one of their coal‐fired boilers to burn
the oat hulls. According to Ferman Milster, Associate Director of
UKliKes & Energy Management, today that on‐site power plant
produces nearly 9 million kilowa8 hours of biomass power
annually, 3% of the University’s electricity use. The equivalent of
that is powering almost 900 average American homes annually. The
Rendering of UI’s Solar Electric Vehicle Charging StaOon
plant also enabled them to reduce their fossil fuel greenhouse gas
emissions by over 50,000 tons of CO2 each year, which is equivalent
• Paper Sludge UMlizaMon – UI is currently tesKng the usage of
to taking 1,200 passenger vehicles off of the road. Saving the
paper sludge in one of their coal boilers. Working closely with
university $670,000 each year, the project became the springboard
Cedar River Paper, a local cardboard recycling plant,
for mulKple other renewable energy and educaKonal efforts.
preliminary results show promise and they are opKmisKc on
blending that once tesKng is completed.
Those other iniKaKves include:
• Hydroelectric CapabiliMes ‐ The main Power Plant was built in
• Oakdale Renewable Energy Plant (OREP) – This is a series of
the 1920s and enclosed an
projects whose purpose is to uKlize mulKple technologies
exisKng hydroelectric
using locally renewable resources to provide cost‐effecKve and
facility which conKnued
reliable energy sources in response to increased growth on the
to generate power unKl
UI’s Oakdale Research Park Campus.
the 1960s, when the unit
was shut down and the
• Landfill Gas Project – Part of OREP, UI has partnered with
equipment removed.
MidAmerican Energy Company who will transport landfill gas
However, the structural
from the City of Iowa City landfill to UI’s Oakdale Research Park
porKon of this facility is
via an underground pipeline. Once the landfill gas arrives at
sKll inside the Power Plant
UI's Oakdale Renewable Energy Plant, it will be combusted in University of Iowa Power Plant
and would support
an engine and used to produce electric power and heat for its
installaKon of hydroelectric generaKon equipment. An iniKal
Oakdale Research Park campus. The goal is to have the small
study has confirmed that it would be possible to restore
satellite campus uKlize 100% renewable energy and they are
hydroelectric generaKon to the Power Plant. The University
opKmisKc they will achieve that.
expects about 500‐kW of renewable energy would be
generated from a restored hydroelectric generator.
• Solar Energy Technology – Glen Mowery, Director UKliKes &
Energy Management, saw the opportunity to uKlize solar
4. • Partnership with the College of Engineering ‐ Milster stresses
“Colleges and universiOes have a stewardship
that schools with engineering colleges have great talent and UI
obligaOon to go figure this stuff out, and our
has been very successful in engaging professors and students
students are our future leaders, so we have to get
in performing projects from fundamental research through
them involved while they’re young.”
senior design projects. An example is one professor, a
combusKon specialist, has a combusKon lab where they are
‐Ferman Milster, Associate Director, UOliOes &
conducKng fundamental research on combusKon
Energy Management
characterisKcs of various biomass fuels. They have made a
computerized model of one of their coal boilers and are tesKng
it prior to working on the physical modificaKon. Milster conKnues to look toward the future of energy
management. He says, “Plasma gasificaKon is very interesKng. It’s
• Wind Energy ‐ UI is exploring possibiliKes of wind energy at or about to break here in the US and we would like to have a seat at
near the main campus. the table when that comes out.” Plasma GasificaKon Process,
abbreviated PGP, is a new trash disposal soluKon using plasma
Results: technology. This process of trash disposal is self‐sustaining and
converts trash into electricity. Although it has been around for a
✓ During 2003 – 2008, biomass represented an average of 12% number of years, its applicaKon to trash disposal was never
of UI’s fuel (coal, natural gas, biomass) and electric power seriously considered because the convenKonal approach of using
consumpKon. landfills was less expensive. Now with landfills in scarce supply, the
✓ Power Plant improvements to increase efficiency, including process has merited deeper consideraKon.
heat recovery and improving the efficiency of turbine
generators, are saving an esKmated $1.14M / year. “Colleges and universiKes have a stewardship obligaKon to go
✓ Chilled water improvements are saving $367,000 / year. figure this stuff out, and our student are our future leaders, so we
✓ Energy audit program is saving $1.5M / year. have to get them involved while they’re young,” Milster concludes.
‐ Sami Barry performs Strategic Market Development for Helbling &
Associates and has been with the firm since 1994. She is a member of
Washington Building Congress and Green Building Alliance of PiQsburgh.
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