Friday, October 15, 2010
News 1, 2 Sports 3 Classifieds 4 Games 4 SCENE see insert
Volume 96 | Issue 30
Sunny 84° / 53° The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Energy project to affect campus BY LORYN THOMPSON & T.S MCBRIDE
ntdaily.com
UNT may build electric turbines BY A DAM BLAYLOCK
Intern & Staff Writer
Staff Writer
UNT may save as much as $3.2 million a year on its electric bill once efficiency upgrades to campus buildings are complete in two years, officials say. Construction on the Energy Savings Performance project begins in November and will be complete in May 2013. The $42 million project includes t he insta l lat ion of a new large-capacity water chiller, motion-sensitive light switches, water-conserving systems and improved energy management software. “We’re going to put up a Web page that will keep people posted as the project progresses and post outages,” said Charles Jackson, executive director of facilities. “We’ve got a communication plan that we’re working on with URCM and Schneider Electric so there won’t be any surprises.” The university is taking out a loan to pay for the upgrades, but the project is expected to pay for itself in savings to electrical and maintenance costs over the next 20 years, Jackson said. Sa muel At k inson of t he biolog y f ac u lt y s a id t he upgrades will be worth the money. “The new equipment is far more efficient,” he said. “We’ll be releasing far less carbon dioxide because we’ll be using less fossil fuels to generate the power the university needs to operate.” Jenny Marienau, an organizer with the Sierra Student Coalition, an environmental orga ni zat ion dedicated to reducing pollution, was unimpressed. “Energ y ef f iciency is an extremely important step,” she said. “But as long as the university gets 50 percent of its energy from coal, it’s not nearly enough.” Marienau said coal is the dirtiest source of energy. “It’s inappropriate for an institution that claims to be focused on sustainability to continue using it,” she said. The university partnered w ith Schneider Electric to
PHOTO BY JOSHUA BANGLE/ INTERN PHOTOGRAPHER
One way that UNT is working on saving energy is through a system known as ReRev. ReRev uses the heat energy produced by the machines and turns it into electricity that gets fed directly into the Recreational Building’s power grid. improve many of the universit y’s cur rent energ y a nd water systems. UNT previously worked with Schneider on a 10-year energy savings project that began in 1997 and allowed the university to save $1.2 million a year in energy costs. “We do energy conservation retrof its where we’re the prime contractor,” said Roger Flud, energy solutions sales team leader at Schneider Electric. “We basically install and oversee complete energy retrofits.” Water chillers and pipelines provide cool air for buildings around the university. The new project calls for a new 5.5-mile pipeline that will carry water to 39 campus buildings and a
new bus-sized central cooling unit to chill the water, among other things. The contract with Schneider Electric stipulates that the company will reimburse the university if the savings fail to pay for themselves. “It’s in the contract,” Jackson sa id. “T hey g ua ra ntee to provide this much savings per year for this certain period of time and if they do not meet it, they write us a check.” The construction may cause street and parking closures, Jackson said. He was adamant, however, that classes will not be disrupted and the majority of the in-building work will be done at night. Once the work is completed, anyone will be able to monitor
t he energ y usage of t he upgraded buildings from a website as per the new software. Jackson hopes the available information will help faculty and staff be aware of their daily energy consumption and take steps to reduce it. “We can look at that and make adjustments if we have to,” Jackson said. “But it will also give us the ability to show people in the building and say ‘Here’s your energy usage.’” Schneider Electric was given its notice to proceed from the university. The company is readying equipment and gathering materials to begin the project. Students should expect to see construction on campus in early November.
Students passing by the area near the new football stadium next spring may see three 150-foot electric wind turbines. T he U N T O f f ic e of Sustainability submitted a feasibility study on Oct. 11 for a state-funded project that would make the Mean Green greener by having the turbines. The Northwind 100 turbines could be in place as soon as April, pending the approval of a $2 million grant by the State Energy Conservation Office. The feasibility study was conducted to satisfy the state’s requirements for the grant — the final element of an application submitted a year ago. Matthew Traum of the mechanical and energy engineering faculty talked about the process of getting the state’s support for the turbines and its impact on UNT. “This is part of that overarching story of how we’re progressing towards becoming a research university,” he said. Todd Spinks, director of the Office of Sustainability, expects to get a final answer on whether UNT will be awarded the grant in a few weeks because the feasibility study has been submitted. But it could take as long as a couple of months. “I wish I [knew],” Spinks said about how long it would take the conservation office to return a final answer on the requested grant. The money for the turbines will stem from the 2009 A mer ica n Recover y a nd Reinvestment Act, which is granting a stimulus of more than $218 million to the state conservation office, according to the agency’s website. Of that money, $53 million will be distributed to the agency’s renewable energy technology program for projects throughout the state. Most Northwind 100 installations cost $500,000, according to the manufacturer Northern Power Systems’ website. The added contribution of electricity from the turbines
is estimated to save $14,000 to $20,000 a year in energy costs to UNT, Spinks said. “Those are conservative measurements,” Spinks said, indicating a low savings estimate. “A worst-case scenario.” Each turbine would put out 150,000 kilowatt-hours per year, amounting to 450,000 kwh output for all three combined, he said. That would amount to a contribution of 6 to 8 percent of the electricity for the Eagle Point campus each year, Spinks said. “The stadium is designed to be green,” Spinks said. “With 40 percent of the power [to the campus] already coming from a wind farm, add the power from the three turbines, it is likely to be the greenest stadium in the world.” Previous concerns were raised about the aesthetic value and potential noise created by the turbines. Spinks said he visited a wind farm with similar turbines and said that noise would be minimal. The Department of Energy designed the technology for these turbines to be low maintenance, low noise and to have minimal environmental impact with urban areas in mind, Spinks said. “It gives a soft humming noise,” he said. “You know when a refrigerator icemaker first turns on? It’s about like that. Once you’re beyond 300 feet, it’s extremely difficult to hear.” The turbines would be about 1,500 to 1,800 feet south-southwest of the stadium, and 1,500 to 2,000 feet away from the nearest homes, he said. Natalya Geremesz, a fashion merchandising junior, supports the project. “I think it’s good, the fact that it’s going to be green and help,” she said, “[I like] the fact that they’re going to use green energy.” Geremesz said she approved of the state-funded effort to go green. “The state should definitely fund projects like that,” she said. “It has the responsibility.”
Famous filmmaker to visit UNT Game Changer? BY T.S. MCBRIDE
Contributing Writer
PHOTO BY MIKE MEZEUL II/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior quarterback Chase Baine completes a pass to junior running back Lance Dunbar during last weekend’s contest against Arkansas State. The Mean Green’s Homecoming game against Florida International begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Fouts Field. See UNT on Page 3
Spike Lee, director of “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts” and “Malcolm X,” will speak at the Murchison Performing Arts Center on Nov. 11. The Oscar-nominated director will discuss his life, his career and race issues as part of UNT’s Fine Arts Series. The event is free to students, but seating is first come, first served. “Spike Lee has paved the way for so many things in independent cinema,” said Mark Packer, assistant director for programs of the University Union. “Not to mention the role of AfricanAmerican actors in film.” Tickets have been available to students since Oct. 11, although the 25th hour negotiations with Lee’s representatives weren’t completed until Wednesday. The general public will be able to get tickets for $30 on Oct. 18. Tickets will also be available for senior citizens, non-UNT students and UNT faculty, staff and the Alumni Association for $15. Lee will receive a $25,000 fee for his appearance — a typical amount, Packer said. The lecture, like all Fine Arts Series programs, will be paid for with student service fees. Programs are selected by a committee made up of the Student Government Association, faculty senate and
staff administration officials. “I think this is pretty exciting,” said Mark Castaneda, a mechanical and energy engineering senior. “I think it is a big deal for the university, especially the minority groups.” Lee has directed 46 movies, do c u me nt a r ie s a nd T V programs, many of which he has also acted in. He has been twice nominated for an Oscar — in 1990 for Best Director for “Do the Right Thing” and in 1998 for Best Documentary Feature for “4 Little Girls.” The director has developed a reputation for dealing with racially charged issues in his movies. His behavior off-screen has sometimes drawn controversy, such as when he criticized director Clint Eastwood for not having any black soldiers in his World War II drama, “Flags of Our Fathers.” The Fine Arts Series program is the longest running program on campus. It was established in 1903 by the faculty senate when UNT was called the North Texas Normal College, and the program was charged with bringing arts and culture to the students. “I think that arts are such a great part of our society, and I think now more than ever we need the arts to help us bridge the gap in becoming better global citizens,” Packer said. “The arts are so international
and so much that happens in the arts happens on a global scale.” The program brought the Moscow Boys Choir to the university three times from 2002
to 2006. In 2006, it sponsored a visit from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. “I will definitely go,” said Nicole Shaw, a biology sophomore. “I love his creativity.”
Homecoming festivities Today: • 11:30 a.m. University Union Silver Eagle Suite — Golden Eagles Luncheon: Celebrate the class of 1960 • 6 p.m. Mean Green Soccer Field — UNT vs. Florida International • 7 p.m. Spirit March — Begins at Fraternity Row on Maple Street and proceeds to Victory Hall • 8 p.m. Walt Parker Drive, next to Victory Hall — Bonfire and Yell Contest
Saturday: • 7:15 a.m. Pohl Recreation Center — Fun Run • 8:30 a.m. Gateway Center Ballroom — Athletic Hall of Fame Breakfast • 1 p.m. Homecoming Parade — Beginning at Welch and Hickory streets to the Square and up Oak Street • 6:30 p.m. Fouts Field — UNT vs. Florida International