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Environmental Studies Department |
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Campus Environmental Issues CommitteeFebruary 22, 2005
Attendance Mark Dickinson, Brett Smith, Sally Weivoda, Richard Graves, Sonia Hazard, Dan Murphy-Cairns, Sara Buck, Kristin Pollock, Claudia Leung, J. Drake Hamilton (Special Guest). 1. Presentation by J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director of ME3 on the potential for renewable energy (particularly wind power) at Macalester A. History Minnesotans for an Energy Efficient Economy is an advocacy group that is trying to promote the purchase of green power by corporations and individuals throughout Minnesota. Legislature exists in Minnesota requiring that all energy providers offer a green alternative, but if there is no demand for this alternative, they may be able to get out of the requirement. As an act of consumer protection, Excel Energy is independently 3rd party certified by the Center for Resource Solutions to actually use money given to them for green power to invest in windmills etc. B. Windsource Windsource is Excel’s green power alternative. Through this program, new turbines are built that would not otherwise exist. They are erected on farmland throughout the state, directly benefiting the small family-owned farms and cutting down on the use of coal in Minnesota. These turbines are technically owned by very large corporations like GE; Excel merely has a contract with them to purchase the energy. Each of these turbines provides 2-4 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of energy. C. Costs Currently, to obtain windpower in this fashion, Macalester College would need to pay $2 per kwh. We use approximately 12-13 million kwh per year. So for a 100% changeover to windpower, we would need to pay an additional $250,000 per year to Excel Energy. However, there is a possibility that if a large buyer approached Excel, they could get a reduced rate. Macalester itself may be such a buyer, or we may be able to team up with the ACTC schools and/or the U of M, which is required to purchase some renewable energy, to be even more influential. Patagonia, which will take over the former Ruminator building this spring, is committed to purchasing green power. As Macalester leases that building to them, we may be able to work with them to obtain green power for our buildings. Also, Macalester would not necessarily need to make a 100% switchover immediately. We could purchase a significant amount to show our commitment while we investigate cheaper options. D. Funding St. Olaf and Carleton College both received state grants that made their renewable energy decisions possible. Macalester may be able to receive a similar grant through the Department of Commerce. Students at Macalester could be given the option to pay a little more per semester to fund renewable energy. A survey could be sent out to faculty, staff, and students to see how that idea would be received. Alumni could be solicited through direct asks. The Capital Fund, made up of part of the student activity fee, could be used. E. Problems and Options There may be hesitation among the student body to fund green energy when a: tuition is being increased again and b: they would rather fund need-blind. Carleton College is still interested in working with us to install another turbine; perhaps we could get renewable energy this way instead. ME3 is willing to work as a go-between/advocacy group on our behalf. Matt Entenza (Mac Alum, State Legislature) may be able to push a grant or new legislation. Next Monday Mayor Randy Kelly is having his Environmental Issues Street Beat meeting. The Mayor of Seattle put out a call to all mayors through the National Council of Mayors to meet the Kyoto Protocol; attendees could ask Mayor Kelly what he sees as next steps, i.e. funding state grants and other programs that push green energy. |
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