Office of Sustainability
Permanent URI for this community
Browse
Browsing Office of Sustainability by Department "Sustainable Energy Development"
Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Embargo 2011-2012 University Of Calgary Scope 3 Ghg Inventory(2013) Lee, DavidThis research project conducts a Scope 3 GHG Inventory for the University of Calgary for the operating year 2011-12 using the World Resources Institute (WRI) Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard in order to identify the Scope 3 GHG footprint from university operations. Emissions from Scope 3 sources are important because they can make up to 75 percent of the total GHG footprint for an organization. Scope 3 is a relatively emerging category of emissions, and currently there is only a small amount of literature and guidance available. The previous inventory conducted in 2008-09 relied heavily on the Clean-Air Cool-Planet carbon calculator and generic calculation tools; however, this year’s inventory attempted to use emissions factors and data that provided a more accurate representation of the operating environment for the University of Calgary. This inventory shows a 45 percent increase from the last inventory with the largest source of emissions coming from student and staff commuting. In addition to calculating Scope 3 emissions for the University of Calgary, the report identifies some of the challenges in applying this type of reporting standard to a higher educational institution and recommends improvements required to continue to advance the quality and accuracy of Scope 3 reporting for the university in the future. This report finds that improvements in data quality and collection, development of improved reporting standards as well as emission factors and methodology that represent the local operating environment of the university will improve reporting in the future.Item Open Access Contribution of the University of Calgary Institutional Sustainability Strategy to the Sustainable Development Goals(2020-08) Gomez Blanco, Andres; Herremans, Irene; Keogh, ÁineThis project addresses the following question: to what extent does the University of Calgary Institutional Sustainability Strategy (ISS) contribute the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Recent studies do not report the contribution of the higher education sector to the SDGs. Also, the use of frameworks and guidelines is not clearly stated. This research gap is addressed by applying the SDG Compass steps to the ISS and reviewing the U of C’s materiality matrix. The findings demonstrate that the Compass serves as a tool to identify the ISS contribution. Besides, the materiality matrix is a key driver in determining the material aspects in the ISS scope. Six SDGs, eight targets, and nine indicators comprise the Strategy’s contribution with specific actions regarding education, clean energy, innovation, responsible consumption, and climate change. Finally, 25 indicators were designed to measure the ISS contribution from 2020 to 2021.Item Open Access Evaluation Of The University Of Calgary Cogeneration Plant(2015) Lessoway, SteveWith greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of electrical power in Alberta being among the highest in Canada, facilities are adopting cogeneration technology to achieve reductions in GHG emissions while also benefiting from decreased energy costs. In 2011 the University of Calgary (U of C) completed construction of a $48 million cogeneration plant to work in conjunction with the campus district energy system with expectations of cutting emissions and reducing energy costs. The objective of this evaluation is to provide a high level review of the operation of: cogeneration technology, the U of C cogeneration plant, and energy consumption on the U of C Campus. Data reviewed and analyzed is from a sample operating year from November 2012 to October 2013. This evaluation will identify potential opportunities for system optimization that offer economic or environmental benefits as well as provide a detailed understanding of performance achievements and shortfalls.Item Embargo Harmonizing Energy Supply And Demand Through Energy Storage Mechanisms A Feasibility Study For The University Of Calgary(2010) Gowland, DavidToday’s energy thirsty society relies heavily upon the energy supply and infrastructure that has evolved over the course of many decades. During this time electricity has emerged as a favoured medium to deliver energy to a wide variety of uses. Energy in electric form is easily transportable and efficiently converted into other forms of energy such as mechanical, light, and heat energy. However, electric energy is by its very nature a perishable good. Once generated it must be consumed or else it goes to waste. Compounding this issue is society’s variable energy demand pattern which causes periods of peak and off-peak demand during the day and night respectively. These peaks force energy producers to have available capacity to satisfy the peak demand level even though it lasts for only a few hours each day. This inefficient system requires a generation capacity that is significantly higher than the average demand level. Together, the perishable nature of electricity and our variable consumption pattern, present a overwhelming challenge to energy providers and system operators. However, through the employment of energy storage mechanisms system operators can effectively store electricity produced in off-peak periods to be use in peak periods. This practice, sometimes referred to as time-shifting or demand-shifting, can have a measured impact in balancing the energy demand pattern to reduce peak consumption levels. At the same time, energy storage systems make better use of base-load electricity generation resources like nuclear and hydro-electric plants which must operate at a consistent rate. This paper examines the issues mentioned above in detail and explores the various energy storage mechanisms available as solutions. Each mechanism is discussed and evaluated based on its; storage efficiency, storage capacity, cost, environmental impact, and adaptability. Later, a case study is presented to explore the implementation of energy storage systems to improve energy use. The University of Calgary was selected as a hypothetical field trial for this case study, in which a battery storage system is proposed as the most suitable means of energy storage based on the metrics listed above in relation to the energy demands of the University. Finally, the results of the case study are extrapolated to ponder energy storage implementation on a larger scale.Item Open Access Optimization of Waste Collection System at University of Calgary(2019-08) Farahbakhsh, SamiraThis project would not have been possible without the support of Ana Pazmino at facility management of University of Calgary. Her support through all the steps of this project was invaluable and helped me to understand and develop thoughts and ideas. Secondly, I want to thank Irene Herremans for her support in this degree. Her guidance, immense knowledge and support to keep me on track, made this project happens. Also, thanks to my friend Elshan who always kept me motivated. Finally, I want to thank my family specially my husband Amir who supported me all the way in this journey with his love, patience and companion.Item Embargo Pre-feasibility Study Of District Energy In The West Campus Development(2014) Dufour, Philippe; Mistry, Krupa; Ritchie, RheanneDistrict Energy (DE) stands as a promising technology, which has environmental, energy, and economic benefits. DE has the potential to reduce our dependence on centralized energy production, carbon-intensive power generation, and also alleviates significant infrastructure cost at the building and community levels. Currently, centralized electricity generation creates system inefficiencies, which are both wasteful and expensive elements of status quo operations. Building specific downstream heating and cooling infrastructure poses similar liabilities. While DE systems are currently being used in a variety of urban applications with the goal of avoiding these system inefficiencies altogether, these systems do require a master-planned implementation in most cases, which makes retrofitting a challenging endeavor. The objective of this report is to perform a pre-feasibility study as to whether DE can be implemented into the West Campus Development (WCD), and how that implementation ought to be performed. The first chapter of this report describes the research intent, DE and combined heat and power as technologies, as well as the WCD concept, and the basis for most of this report’s data; the University of Calgary’s central plant and DE network. The central chapters (2, 3, & 4) of this report outline the benefits of DE pertaining to energy, the environment, and economics respectively, with each chapter concluding with WCD case-specific benefits. The final chapters offer recommendations and a conclusion for the case. Most of the report uses data and implementation concepts obtained from leading DE systems in both Canada and the United-States. Additionally, hard data comes from the University of Calgary’s own central plant. Currently known load profiles, natural gas usage and electricity consumption values were applied to specific land use types in WCD. The highest density development within the WCD, known as the ‘density hub’, is the focus of the DE network implementation.Item Open Access Sustainable Building Advancements for Alberta(2018) Parassery Sadasivan, Agasthya; Nowicki, EdwinThe Alberta electricity sector comprises electricity generated primarily from non-renewable sources like coal and natural gas which have high GHG emissions. Coal power plants and natural gas power plants account for approximately 85 percent of the electriItem Embargo The Benefits Of Building Resealing And Lighting Fixture Renovation(2016) Philip, ThomasApproaches reducing energy usage are identified for university residence buildings in this project, and applied in an analysis for a particular building, namely Olympus Hall, University of Calgary. It is proposed that building resealing and lighting fixture renovation are effective techniques to reduce energy consumption. Three dimensions are considered for each technique: actual (before) and estimated (after) energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and the estimated simple payback period. The proposed resealing of Olympus Hall would result in an estimated 46.66% reduction in annual heating energy use with a payback period of 8 years and 8 months. The proposed replacement of the T12 lighting system with a T8 lighting system at Olympus Hall would produce an estimated 31.2% annual electrical energy savings with a payback period of 3 years and 7 months. Applying both approaches results in an estimated total carbon dioxide emission reduction for Olympus Hall of 39.75% annually.Item Open Access The Irony of Climate Science and the Race to Net Zero A Carbon Footprint Investigation(2019-08-19) MacKinnon, Catherine Marie; Assefa, GetachewA carbon footprint investigation of the Kluane Lake Research Station (KLRS), which supports the advancement of climate science, is vital to identify the organization’s large-scale contribution to climate change. A comprehensive measurement of KLRS’s emissions profile enables the development of effective mitigation and management strategies to approach net zero carbon, in alignment with current IPCC projections. The GHG Protocol Standard was applied to evaluate KLRS’s material emission sources and understand its energy demands and environmental impacts, supplemented with an economic analysis of mitigation efforts addressing its predominant direct contributor. The findings yielded 86 percent of KLRS’s absolute emissions were scope 3 with 86 percent attributable to aviation, emphasizing the importance of decarbonization, extensive behavioural change, and global collaboration essential to progress this fundamental exploration whilst minimizing its impact. This signifies a critical juncture in addressing climate science’s ironically high carbon signature and the synergistic pursuit required to realize carbon neutrality.