Class Project ReportSustainable Air Quality, EECE 449/549, Spring 2008

Washington University, St. Loui, MO

Carbon Footprint of Danforth Campus

Instructors: Professor Rudolf B. Husar, Erin M. Robinson

For more details see the class wiki

Students:Devki DesaiMartin GroenewegenTyler NadingKate NelsonMatt SculnickAlyssa SmithVarun Yadav

Washington University Carbon Footprint

Transportation

On Campus

Students

heat

cool

appliances

Fac/Staff

Causality Framework for University Carbon Footprint - Buildings

• Each of the boxes is a physical quantity that can be measured and tracked

• Looking at the causality factor trends the relationship between the parameters is established.

PopulationStudents

Activities $ Expend./yr

Buildings Sq. Ft

Fuel Cons. BTU/yr

C Emission Ton C/yr

Fuel Cons.BTU/yr

C EmissionTon C/yr

Electr. ConsKw-Hr/yr

$/Student Sq. Ft./$ BTU/Sq.Ft.

Kw-hr/Sq.Ft.

BTU/Kw-hr Carbon/BTU

Carbon/BTU

Causality Framework for University Carbon Footprint - Buildings

PopulationStudents

Activities $ Expend./yr

Buildings Sq. Ft

Fuel Cons. BTU/yr

C Emission Ton C/yr

Fuel Cons.BTU/yr

C EmissionTon C/yr

Electr. ConsKw-Hr/yr

$/Student Sq. Ft./$ BTU/Sq.Ft.

Kw-hr/Sq.Ft.

BTU/Kw-hr Carbon/BTU

Carbon/BTU

University Expendenditures per Student

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

70.00

80.00

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

(Th

ou

sa

nd

s $

)

Year

$/S

tud

en

t

Operational $ per student

60% increase between 1990-2005

Causality Framework for University Carbon Footprint - Buildings

• The campus size in sq. ft. and expenditures increased at about the same rate.

• Therefore the 1990-2005 change was insignificant.

PopulationStudents

Activities $ Expend./yr

Buildings Sq. Ft

Fuel Cons. BTU/yr

C Emission Ton C/yr

Fuel Cons.BTU/yr

C EmissionTon C/yr

Electr. ConsKw-Hr/yr

$/Student Sq. Ft./$ BTU/Sq.Ft.

Kw-hr/Sq.Ft.

BTU/Kw-hr Carbon/BTU

Carbon/BTU

Danforth Campus Square Footage per $ - Normalized, 1990

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Year

Ra

tio

to

19

90

Operational $ per total square foot

Causality Framework for University Carbon Footprint - Buildings

• The on campus fuel: coal, oil, natural gas

• The fuel used/sq ft. has fluctuated. The dip after 1993 was caused by system upgrades

PopulationStudents

Activities $ Expend./yr

Buildings Sq. Ft

Fuel Cons. BTU/yr

C Emission Ton C/yr

Fuel Cons.BTU/yr

C EmissionTon C/yr

Electr. ConsKw-Hr/yr

$/Student Sq. Ft./$ BTU/Sq.Ft.

Kw-hr/Sq.Ft.

BTU/Kw-hr Carbon/BTU

Carbon/BTU

Danforth Campus Stationary Sources per Building Sq. Ft.

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

0.12

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Year

mm

btu/

Sq.

Ft.

Coal Natural Gas Oil

Causality Framework for University Carbon Footprint - Buildings

PopulationStudents

Activities $ Expend./yr

Buildings Sq. Ft

Fuel Cons. BTU/yr

C Emission Ton C/yr

Fuel Cons.BTU/yr

C EmissionTon C/yr

Electr. ConsKw-Hr/yr

$/Student Sq. Ft./$ BTU/Sq.Ft.

Kw-hr/Sq.Ft.

BTU/Kw-hr Carbon/BTU

Carbon/BTU

Danforth Campus Purchased Electricity per Sq. Ft.

0

5

10

15

20

25

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Year

Kw

-Hr/S

q. F

t

Electricity per Square foot

Electricity/Sq. Ft. has increased 20%

Causality Framework for University Carbon Footprint - Buildings

• The purchased electricity is about 1/3 of total expended energy need to produce that electricity.

• 10% is lost through line transmission. • 2/3 of the energy produced is lost as heat

(Waste Energy).

PopulationStudents

Activities $ Expend./yr

Buildings Sq. Ft

Fuel Cons. BTU/yr

C Emission Ton C/yr

Fuel Cons.BTU/yr

C EmissionTon C/yr

Electr. ConsKw-Hr/yr

$/Student Sq. Ft./$ BTU/Sq.Ft.

Kw-hr/Sq.Ft.

BTU/Kw-hr Carbon/BTU

Carbon/BTU

Danforth Campus Electric Energy Consumption

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Year

MM

BT

U (

hu

nd

red

s)

Purchased Electricity (mmbtu) -Danforth Tot Produced Electricity (mmbtu)-DanforthPurchased Elect. + Transmission (mmbtu)

WASTE Energy at Power Plant

Purchased Electricity

Causality Framework for University Carbon Footprint - Buildings

• Each fuel has Carbon/BTU ratio

• The overall carbon emission for buildings has increased 70% from 1990-2007

PopulationStudents

Activities $ Expend./yr

Buildings Sq. Ft

Fuel Cons. BTU/yr

C Emission Ton C/yr

Fuel Cons.BTU/yr

C EmissionTon C/yr

Electr. ConsKw-Hr/yr

$/Student Sq. Ft./$ BTU/Sq.Ft.

Kw-hr/Sq.Ft.

BTU/Kw-hr Carbon/BTU

Carbon/BTU

Danforth Campus Carbon Emission, 1990-2007

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030Year

C T

onne

s (th

ousa

nds)

Electricity Fuel

Causality Framework for University Carbon Footprint - Buildings

• Each fuel has Carbon/BTU ratio

• The overall carbon emission for buildings has increased 60% from 1990-2007

PopulationStudents

Activities $ Expend./yr

Buildings Sq. Ft

Fuel Cons. BTU/yr

C Emission Ton C/yr

Fuel Cons.BTU/yr

C EmissionTon C/yr

Electr. ConsKw-Hr/yr

$/Student Sq. Ft./$ BTU/Sq.Ft.

Kw-hr/Sq.Ft.

BTU/Kw-hr Carbon/BTU

Carbon/BTU

Change in Causality Drivers from 1990-2005

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Causality Drivers

% C

hang

e 19

90-2

005

# Students Operational $ per studenttotal Sq.ft per $ Total Produced per Sq. Ft. mmbtuTotal Produced Emission

Causality Framework for University Carbon Footprint - Transportation

• Overall Transportation emissions have stayed constant

• The student commuters’ emissions have dropped because more students are living closer to campus

• The faculty/staff emissions are increasing as people are living farther away due to housing availability/costs

PopulationPeople

Transportation

Miles

Fuel Cons. Gal./yr

C Emission Ton C/yr

Miles/Person Gal./Mile Carbon/Gal

Washington University Transportation Emission

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040

Year

Car

bon

(Tho

usan

d To

nnes

)

Commuter Students Carbon (tonnes) - all Faculty/Staff Commuter Carbon (tonnes) - All Transportation - All

Carbon Emission – University

• Cumulative plot of campus emissions. Electricity is the main component followed by on campus fuel usage and transportation.

• Carbon Emissions have increased almost 60% from 1990 to 2005.

Danforth Campus Carbon Emission, 1990-2007

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030Year

C T

on

ne

s (

tho

us

an

ds

)

Electricity Fuel Transportation