Ellington

Energy conservation seems to be a new obsession among today’s students — and with good reason. With more and more evidence supporting global warming, the need to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency is becoming an ever more important aspect of life, especially in a community as large and diverse as the University of Washington.

While we already see many initiatives on campus to make the community more sustainable and environmentally friendly — composting stations, for example — projects like WashPIRG’s recent light-bulb swap help the campus to become more energy efficient and reduce its carbon footprint.

Seattle City Light, which recently helped fund WashPIRG’s light-bulb swap, is becoming more involved in the UW’s drive to become more energy efficient through their involvement in a new pilot program. Designed to monitor energy use, Seattle City Light has chosen the UW Seattle campus as a location to begin the use of experimental smart-grid energy-conservation technology.

This $9.6 million project consists of controlling energy monitoring equipment installed in two classrooms and two residence halls, as well as installation of “smart” electric meters, increased communication capabilities between building management systems on campus, and the introduction of new data management technologies.

Part of the national $620 million project initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy for Pacific Northwest Projects, the overall goal of this project is to reduce energy costs for consumers, make the national energy grid stronger and more reliable, and improve access to clean and renewable energy sources in homes and businesses in the Northwest.

Because electrical power used locally is shared throughout the greater Pacific Northwest through the Northwest Power Pool (NWPP) and distributed where it is needed, this initiative acts as a way to improve energy transfer across the campus. This helps to reduce energy consumption and increase distribution efficiency.

And because energy is shared throughout the NWPP, every kilowatt hour conserved locally and on campus is one that does not need to be manufactured and transported elsewhere within the Pacific Northwest.

Knowing where our energy use comes from helps to monitor the use of more green energy sources — wind, hydropower, biomass, etc. — and decreases our reliance on non-renewable energy sources. The benefits of this program bring us closer to creating a green campus, where we limit our carbon footprint while maintaining our sense of modernity.

The introduction of smart-grid technology propels us further along the UW’s long road toward complete sustainability. Along with composting stations and the light-bulb swap, this new addition to the university’s artillery of energy-efficient initiatives brings us ever closer to the goal of becoming a sustainable, low-emission community.

Reach columnist Emily McFadden at opinion@dailyuw.com.