Page 136 - Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings-Volume 3

PREFACE TO CASE STUDY NO. 17 STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Stanford University
Preface to Case Study No. 17
(Above and below). Photos of Stanford University campus courtesy of Stanford Univer- sity.
Major campuses with a large collection of existing buildings have a different kind of challenge achieving ZNE than individual new and existing buildings that have their energy supply systems incorporated as part of the building. Historically, campuses under one owner/institution that have been developed and built over an extended period of time typically utilize a shared, centralized energy supply system to maintain serviceability and occupant comfort in the buildings. This is the situation, for example, in the previous case study, LACCD Harbor College Science Building, where the heating and cooling loads are met by a gas-fired central plant and a campus distribu- tion network for heated and chilled water.
Stanford University had an even greater challenge of this type because of the sheer size and diversity of the campus, the age of its buildings and their historical context. While the university did not initially adopt a campus-wide goal of ZNE performance, the goal of substantially reducing campus-source carbon emissions combined with a timely opportunity has created a realistic path to that achievement.
Background
Shortly after the turn of the current century, when the sustainability movement took hold at major colleges and universities, Stanford University decided to reorganize its administrative depart- ments in charge of campus utilities and transportation into a single department that emphasized sustainability in its overall operations. This Department of Sustainability and Energy Manage- ment, as the combined departments were named, was first charged with making an organiza- tional framework with campus goals and strategies for greater campus sustainability, starting with an assessment of the existing infrastructure and administrative procedures in that regard.
The next step was to devise a plan of action based on this assessment for the most effective and practical measures to achieve the greatest possible savings in energy and water, to reduce waste and to lower carbon emissions substantially. This plan, called The Energy and Climate Plan, was to be presented to university leaders for discussion and ultimately approval of the final plan going forward. The process of evaluation and communication with the campus was
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Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings: Volume 3