We Have Met the Future and It Is Green - Sustainable Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering - page 311

Figure 8.3 Annual fuel
consumption at Duke University's
steam plant from 1990 to 2003.
From S. Hummel, “Charting a path to
greenhouse gas reductions,” Greening
of the Campus VI Proceedings ,Ball
State University, Muncie, Indiana,
September 15-17, 2005.
of coal had risen “37% and availability to the campus remains very tight,” 5 so it
would benefit users to have alternative fuel sources. In fact, universities are very
good candidates for conversion from coal. Energy requirements at Duke Univer-
sity are met predominantly by coal (see Fig. 8.3). As evidence, the superintendent
of the steam plant services group of Duke University, Dennis Kennedy, noted
that the coal shortage had affected the plant several times over the past winter and
depleted their stores to less that a 10-day supply (see Fig. 8.4). This also led to
the need to augment supplies with other nonrenewable fossil fuels (see Fig. 8.5).
Switchgrass is a locally available crop traditionally found in the southeastern
United States with an average farm gate price in North Carolina of $ 38.30/ton,
compared to an average of above $ 50/ton, with significant seasonal variation,
for coal, according to data from the Energy information Administration Office.
North Carolina State University has received government grants to study crops,
including swithgrass for power generation. Kamaal's proposal included an alter-
native that would burn swithgrass in existing stacks and consider a blend of coal
and switchgrass, depending on the time of year, prices of the two commodities,
and the system's demands for performance. The transition to switchgrass as a
feasible alternative fuel source for generating steam is being made more attractive
by the university's recent transition to biodiesel fuels for campus buses and its
commitment to sustainable practices.
The third innovation project in this group was conceived by senior civil
engineering major, Tom, who recommended harnessing the potential energy
of moving water in plumbing systems in high-rise construction. Tom's initial
research focused on understanding the components of typical water systems used
in high-rise construction. This included hot water, domestic water, chilled water,
and the pumps used to boost water pressure. His research included examining