Executive Summary
This 2024 Update on the University’s Climate Action Plan spans 15 years of planning, execution, and measurement. It is the result of leadership, collaboration, investment, and celebration at each milestone.
Wake Forest University began tracking Scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in 2010 and chose FY07 as a baseline year for reductions.
• Scope 1 includes on-site generation sources, including combustion of fossil fuels (natural gas, fuel oil, fleet fuel), refrigerants, and fertilizer application. In FY23, Scope 1 emissions constituted 42% of the GHG emissions footprint.
• Scope 2 includes purchased electricity from Duke Energy to power our campus’ electric needs. In FY23, Scope 2 emissions constituted 53% of the GHG emissions footprint.
The path to date has followed a three-phased Climate Action Strategy.
Phase I – Reduce: Reducing GHG emissions through energy efficiency measures, building renewal, and a commitment to adaptive reuse has had a significant impact on the university’s path to neutrality. From an FY07 baseline, the in-house Utilities Operations team in Facilities & Campus Services achieved a 46% reduction in total GHGs from operations by the close of FY23, even as the campus footprint grew by 56% over that same timeframe. Continued investment and assessment of areas for improvement in the efficiency of our operations is ongoing.
Phase II – Replace: Over half of the university’s GHG emissions footprint comes from purchased
electricity to power campus operations. Strategies to support the switch to renewable energy have included advocating for renewables in Duke Energy’s generation mix, exploring opportunities for on-site solar, and investing in large-scale offsite renewable energy. On Earth Day 2024, the university announced an ambitious plan to offset 100% of the university’s projected annual electricity demand by 2026.
Phase III – Offset: Following Phases I and II, an estimated 25% of Wake Forest’s overall GHG emissions footprint will remain. The university will need to develop an offset portfolio that is verifiable, transparent, permanent, and creates additionality. Ideally, these offsets would be generated in concert with university faculty research here and abroad. Opportunities include renewable energy technologies, carbon sequestration from soil remediation, and forest protection offsets.
Although mitigating GHGs today will help limit the future effects of global climate change, we are already experiencing its impacts, including increased frequency and severity of storms, drought, and extreme heat. University administrators plan to develop adaptation and resilience strategies to complement this climate action plan and to bolster Wake Forest’s preparedness for current and future climate change-induced threats to infrastructure and human health.
Summary Timeline and Milestones to Date
2009 - 2024
Following the creation of the Office of Sustainability in 2009, Wake Forest University began tracking greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in 2010. The university identified fiscal year 2007 (FY07) as the baseline year against which all future reductions would be measured. A collaborative effort to outline a three-phase path to neutrality was developed immediately thereafter: Phase I) maximize opportunities for energy reduction; Phase II) transition to low-carbon and renewable energy sources; and Phase III) offset of any remaining GHGs.
A 2012 campus Sustainability Strategic Plan1 laid the foundation for the work that would be needed in Phases I and II: LEED construction standards, a commitment to adaptive reuse in the built environment, the implementation of smart building technologies, behavior change campaign expectations, and the exploration of opportunities for on-site renewable energy.
Wake Forest’s Facilities & Campus Services team took the lead in pursuing Phase I opportunities, including efficiency standards for new buildings, assessment and implementation of building renewal, systems optimization, and occupant behavior initiatives to reduce the university’s GHG emissions footprint.
In 2016, the university evaluated opportunities for third-party managed energy efficiency programs with promises of shared savings,
and chose instead to further develop in-house energy efficiency expertise in order to retain 100% of the savings for reinvestment into ongoing efficiency upgrades. The Building Performance Improvement Initiative (BPI2) was launched as part of this commitment. Within a year, emissions reductions from operations decreased 19 percent compared to the university’s FY07 baseline.
In 2017, Wake Forest joined over 400 institutions of higher education, 2,000 businesses, and nearly 300 cities in signing the “We Are Still In” declaration following the US presidential administration’s decision to formally withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The 2015 Agreement, which holds signatories accountable to limiting global warming to 1.5C (2.7F) above preindustrial levels by 2030, signaled a new wave of global commitment to reduce dependency on heat-trapping fossil fuels and to draw down GHGs. Wake Forest’s signature of the “We Are Still In” declaration affirmed the university’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and to climate action, underscoring the work already underway on campus.
In 2018, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a special report that outlined updated expected impacts of global average temperature increases of 1.5C and
2.0C. The report spurred a wave of support for near-term climate solutions and a call to action on the global stage. In September 2019, students led the charge on Wake Forest’s campus, joining in the global climate strike that mobilized young people in over 150 countries to march for climate action.
From 2018 through 2019, Wake Forest explored Duke Energy’s Green Source Advantage Program2, the outcome of 2017 NC House Bill 5893, for possible renewable energy procurement possibilities. WFU partnered with Davidson College and Elon University to lobby for access to the program; the complexities of the program and unfavorable pricing resulted in enrollment by just one North Carolina institution of higher education. The group of three schools – Wake Forest, Davidson, and Elon – stayed in discussion about ways to exercise collective purchasing power to arrive at a different large-scale renewable energy solution.
In 2019, the university’s electricity provider, Duke Energy, committed to decarbonization4 and began steadily decreasing fossil fuels in its generation mix. The utility provider announced its goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to cut its emissions by half or more from 2005 levels by 2030.
In 2020, following a year-long collaborative process led by a steering committee of university faculty and administrators, the university released a new ambitious set of goals to achieve climate neutrality and increase opportunities for education for sustainability across the disciplines. During planning exercises with faculty, staff, and student stakeholders,
the call for a comprehensive plan to accelerate climate neutrality was reiterated. In exploring the feasibility of a 2050 neutrality target, Wake Forest research faculty opined that 2050 would be far too late. Accordingly, Wake Forest’s deadline to achieve climate neutrality was moved up to a more ambitious 2040.
The university set an interim goal of 50% reduction by 2030, in keeping with the Paris Climate Agreement. With continued leadership and investment by the Facilities & Campus Services teams, Wake Forest’s energy use intensity (EUI) per square foot continued to decline year over year5. The university’s GHG emissions had decreased 42% between FY07 and FY20, in alignment with this interim goal.
In August 2023, the university released the strategic framework, Framing Our Future. In it, Wake Forest is called to be a catalyst for good in society and to “Strengthen existing and build new signature areas of excellence in research, scholarship and creative work that cross academic and institutional boundaries to address issues of importance to humanity with broad societal impact.”
The university carries forward these climate action commitments in alignment with the framework and the strategic aims therein.
On Earth Day 2024, Wake Forest announced6 a bold commitment to 100% renewable energy through a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) that will bring a large-scale solar farm onto the grid in 2026. Once operational, the project is estimated to bring the university approximately 75% of the way, at least, to total climate neutrality in operations.
What We Measure
The University’s GHG emissions footprint area portfolio includes the following: Reynolda campus core, Real Estate Properties, Historic Reynolda (including Reynolda House, Reynolda Village, and Graylyn), adjacent student housing, adjacent academic and administrative properties, and all Athletics venues. The university does not include leased properties within the boundary.
Wake Forest’s in-house Facilities & Campus Services Utilities Operations team tracks GHG emissions through the accounting framework developed by the science-based non-profit organization Clean Air, Cool Planet. The university’s GHG emissions inventory includes the impacts of all GHGs normalized by carbon dioxide equivalent, or “CO2e,” calculations for ease of comparison. This also allows for emissions of gasses with different global warming potential, including radiant forcing capacities and persistence in Earth’s atmosphere, to be calculated in equivalent terms.
The university’s carbon emissions inventory includes Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions as defined below. The exception is the inclusion of emissions from utility transmission and distribution (T&D) losses, which are considered Scope 3 emissions.
Scope 1 includes on-site generation sources, including combustion of fossil fuels (natural gas, fuel oil, fleet fuel), refrigerants, and fertilizer application. In FY23, natural gas and fuel oil constituted 37% of the GHG emissions footprint (Figure 1.0).
Scope 2 includes purchased electricity from Duke Energy to power our campus’ electric needs. In FY23, Scope 2 emissions constituted 53% of our GHG emissions (Figure 1.0).
Notes on Scope 3 Emissions:
Scope 3 emissions result from the operations of third parties across our value chain. While not directly controlled by a university like ours, these emissions are increasingly considered attributable to institutions across sectors, especially those responsible for the production of goods.
We are engaged in ongoing consideration of the inclusion of upstream Scope 3 emissions from university-sponsored air travel. With cross-cutting research taking place across the globe and 80% of undergraduate students choosing to study away, air travel is an unavoidable part of fulfilling our institutional mission. Additionally, with the FY25 expansion of the ACC to include Stanford, California, and SMU, our athletic teams now travel as far as Texas and California for regular-season play. While we can continue to seek ways to optimize the efficiency of travel by right-sizing vehicles and coordinating
Figure 1.0 Metric Tons CO2e in FY23 by Source
Wake Forest masures Scope 1 and 2 emissions. The exception is our utility transmission and distribution losses, which are Scope 3 emissions.
Refrigerants (Scope 1) (2%)
Fleet Vehicle Fuel (Scope 1) (3%)
Utility Transmission and Distribution Losses (Scope 3) (5%)
Natural Gas and Fuel Oil (Scope 1) (37%)
Purchased Electricity (Scope 2) (53%)
travel across teams, modes of long-distance travel are not often discretionary. As with all Scope 3 emissions, we can continue to advocate for airlines’ mitigation of the GHG impacts from their operations.
Given the university’s purchasing power, we can work through procurement processes to hold suppliers of goods and services accountable for the emissions that result from their operations. By influencing accountability across the supply chain, we can impact the larger system of goods and services that we receive. As a sector, higher education could influence practice and policy in this area.
The Three-Phased Action Plan
PHASE I – Reduce
Summary: Reducing GHG emissions through energy efficiency measures, building renewal, and a commitment to adaptive reuse has had a significant impact on the university’s path to neutrality. From an FY07 baseline, the in-house Utilities Operations team in Facilities & Campus Services achieved a 46% reduction in total GHGs from operations by the close of FY23, even as the campus footprint grew by 56% over that same timeframe. Continued investment and assessment of areas for improvement in the efficiency of our operations is ongoing.
Energy Use Intensity and GHG Emissions
Reductions To Date: Energy use at the building level, defined as kBTUs (Kilo British Thermal Units) per GSF (Gross Square Feet), is a strong indicator of efficiency in operations. The energy use intensity (EUI) metric tells us how efficiently campus buildings are performing. Through continuous investment in energy efficiency, including building automation systems (BAS) and advanced scheduling, Wake Forest’s in-house F&CS Utilities Operations team has achieved a 47% reduction in EUI from the FY07 baseline (Figure 1.1).
The university’s gross carbon emissions have declined by 46% over the same timeframe, even as gross square footage has more than doubled to over 5.6 million gross square feet (Figure 1.2). This consistent downward trajectory puts
Wake Forest ahead of schedule to meet its benchmark goal of a 50% reduction by 2030.
Retrofits and Building Renewal: Increasing efficiency in the university’s buildings and systems directly results in decreased GHG emissions. Wake Forest’s commitment to preserving and retrofitting campus buildings has resulted in over 20 past projects with energy savings totaling over 5 million kilowatt (kW) hours. The renovations to the Hearn Plaza residence halls, for instance, increased energy efficiency in these buildings by over 20%, and water efficiency by 40%.
On average, renewing existing buildings on campus saves between 50 - 75% of the embodied materials, energy, and equivalent carbon. By adapting existing buildings on campus to serve contemporary needs, we are able to cut operating costs and make better use of existing spaces. This effort includes renovating and equipping existing spaces with the latest resource-efficient fixtures, including: low-flow toilets and showers, LED lights, and remotely monitored temperature regulation systems. Ninety percent of Wake Forest’s outdoor and pedestrian lights have been converted to LEDs. And over 450 meters across 175 buildings on Wake Forest’s property provide data that allow for detailed monitoring and inform future efficiency planning.
New Construction and Major Renovation:
Wake Forest’s Green Building policy7, adopted in 2018, requires that all new buildings — including major renovations as well as
Figure 1.1 WFU Energy Use Intensity kBtu/GSF Building Space
Energy use Intensity is a strong indicator of efficiency in operations. Through continuous conservation and efficiency efforts, WFU has collaboratively reduced its total energy use per square foot (kBtu/ft2) by 47% compared to its FY07 baseline.
new construction — must be designed and built to meet a minimum of the US Green Building Council’s8 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards. The policy ratified the standards outlined in the 2012 Sustainability Strategic Plan. A list of LEED-certified buildings and their scorecards is available at sustainability. wfu.edu/initiatives/the-built-environment.
District Heating & Cooling: District heating and cooling systems offer an efficient way to generate steam and chilled water centrally and to circulate the utilities to buildings across campus.
At Wake Forest, chilled water is produced in two campus locations and distributed underground to dehumidify and cool our buildings. The 2018 replacement of the North
Figure 1.2 WFU Gross Carbon Emissions Reductions
From a 2007 baseline, Wake Forest has achieved a 46% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions from operations even as the campus has grown 56% over the same timeframe.
Chiller Plant has nearly doubled chilled water capacity in that plant and increased efficiency by 16%. The additional optimization of systems at both North and South Chiller plants in 2018 led to an overall system efficiency increase of nearly 25%. A renewal and expansion of the South Chiller plant is underway, and is expected to be complete in spring 2025. The project includes the replacement of aging equipment, expansion of cooling capacity to address current and future
campus cooling needs, and implementation of new technologies and controls strategy for significant cost savings and efficiencies.
Steam for heating and hot water is also produced centrally on campus and distributed to campus through over a mile of insulated pipes and utility tunnels. In 2023, the Worrell Boilers that were at the end of their lifespan were replaced with new condensing hot water boilers. These new boilers have yielded notable efficiency gains, resulting in reduced energy consumption and decreased operating costs. The project also involved the renewal of aging underground piping, enhancing the reliability of heating infrastructure.
The two central boilers of the University Operations Center are original to campus and have served campus needs for over 70 years. A third boiler was added in 2013 and is a fire tube with 20,000 lbs per hour capacity. A fourth boiler was added in 2019 with equal capacity to Boiler 3. Boiler number two is at the end of its lifespan, and will be replaced in the coming years with another fire tube boiler that will allow for better heat transfer and efficiency.
Carbon emissions are measured in Metric Tons of CO2e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) to normalize the impact of all GHGs in accordance with their Global Warming Potential.
PHASE II – Replace
Summary: The largest percentage of the university’s GHG emissions footprint is purchased electricity to power campus operations. The appropriateness of renewable energy sources varies greatly by region. In this region of North Carolina, solar thermal and solar photovoltaic remain the most effective opportunities to replace fossil-based fuel sources for electricity. A VPPA will bring a solar farm onto the grid beginning in 2026, offsetting 100% of the university’s projected annual electricity demand.
Demonstrations: There are demonstrationscale solar PV installations on campus at the University Activities Space and at North Dining Hall. There are also solar thermal installations that provide hot water to campus buildings. A solar thermal installation for hot water is located on South Residence Hall’s roof that satisfies approximately 60% of the building’s domestic hot water demand. The Reynolds Gymnasium pool water is also heated through rooftop solar thermal panels. These are important demonstrations of the benefits of smaller-scale distributed installations.
Duke Energy’s Commitment to Net-zero Carbon Emissions by 2050: The steady decarbonization of Duke Energy’s generation mix has also created a cleaner grid and continues to complement our own efficiency gains. In 2024, Duke Energy reduced the percentage of coal-fired electricity in the generation mix to
just 17%, and the company aims to end coalfired generation entirely by 2035. This switch is possible due to increased production at the utility’s three nuclear power plants.
On-site Opportunities: In 2017, NC House Bill 5899 created new opportunities for renewables in the state, including limited commercial leasing options. A study was conducted in 2021, that identified 1.5MW of eligible roof space for solar PV installations on campus at a cost of about $3 million. The study concluded that if the university identified a qualified commercial lessor through North Carolina’s new program, design and construction would take about two years and would break even over the ~25 year life of the system. Additionally, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created opportunities for onsite renewable energy installations through tax credits and direct pay mechanisms. For context, in order to offset Wake Forest’s 66k MW electrical footprint, the university would need approximately 25 acres of land for solar arrays. There is not sufficient land on or adjacent to campus to install a solar array of this size.
Offsite Solutions: A rapidly growing, scalable renewable energy solution across sectors is the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). In these long-term agreements, a renewable developer builds, maintains, and operates a solar or wind facility and, through a long-term agreement, an entity procures the electricity directly. In the state of North Carolina, the regulated utility provider must be a party to the agreement. In the case of a virtual PPA10, the distance between the source of generation and the entity
procuring it is too far for direct transmission. Instead, the generated electricity is sold to the market and delivered to the grid. In this case, the institution that agrees to support a fixed price for the electricity receives and can retire the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) generated from the project as an offset to emissions associated with its electrical load.
In the fall of 2023, Wake Forest joined a consortium of nine North Carolina and Pennsylvania colleges and universities to bring a large-scale solar farm onto the grid11, beginning in 2026. The renewable development will be a 300k MW solar installation in Henderson County, KY called Sebree Solar II. Wake Forest’s offtake from the project is 66k MWh, which equals the university’s projected annual electricity demand. The investment in the project is estimated to offset 100% of the campus’ purchased electricity (Scope 2 emissions), thereby increasing the university’s estimated total GHG emissions reduction by approximately 75%, at least, once operational in 2026.
PHASE III - Offset
Summary: As the feasibility and impact of additional campus-wide energy efficiency investments decreases, and the Scope 2 electrical footprint is offset through offsite renewable energy, it will be necessary to offset the remainder of the university’s Scope 1 GHG emissions footprint to achieve climate neutrality by 2040. The university’s most conservative estimate indicates that once Sebree Solar II is online, Wake Forest will have
approximately 25%, or 14,057 MTCO2e, of its GHG emissions footprint remaining to offset.
Carbon offsets are calculations of an activity’s additional ability to reduce or sequester carbon emissions beyond business as usual. Common offset activities may include urban tree planting initiatives, reforestation efforts, methane capture from landfills or animal manure, and renewable energy generation. Each activity must meet a verifiable calculation protocol. In recent years, a number of offset organizations catering to the world’s largest organizations, have been criticized for producing offsets with no real value to the environment or proof of offsetting emissions.
It is important to note that not all offset projects have the same immediate impact. For example, reforesting a cleared forest may take years for the newly-planted trees to draw significant CO2 out of the atmosphere. That does not mean it is an unworthy act; its protocols and life-span simply must be evaluated when considered as a carbon offset. This is why each offset project must be created with careful consideration, verifiable protocols, and an evaluation tool to effectively measure a project’s impact over time.
Wake Forest is committed to exploring opportunities to generate a portfolio of projects through faculty research where possible. For example, university administrators have been working with faculty and colleagues affiliated with CINCIA, the university’s research center in the Peruvian Amazon, on ways to develop novel offsets that protect intact forests. The co-benefits of ecosystem protection in this type of offset far exceed carbon sequestration alone.
Looking Ahead: Incorporating Adaptation and Resilience
Although mitigating GHGs today will help limit the effects of global climate change, we are already experiencing increased frequency and severity of storms, drought, and extreme heat.
University administrators plan to develop adaptation and resilience strategies to bolster Wake Forest’s preparedness for current and future climate change-induced threats to infrastructure and human health. Climaterelated risks to the institution will be assessed and informed by research and community input. A comprehensive report outlining top climate hazards, existing and future strengths, and vulnerabilities to Wake Forest will be generated with priority actions identified to bolster resilience.
As mitigation and adaptation are both critically important to creating a livable future, the resulting Climate Resilience & Adaptation Plan will be a complementary component to the university’s Climate Action Plan.
1 https://sustainability.wfu.edu/about-us/sustainability-strategic-plan
2 https://www.duke-energy.com/business/products/renewables/green-source-advantage
3 https://energync.org/hb589/
4 https://news.duke-energy.com/releases/duke-energy-aims-to-achieve-net-zero-carbon-emissions-by-2050
5 https://facilities.wfu.edu/annual-report-2023/#Energy
6 https://sustainability.wfu.edu/renewable-energy
7 https://prod.wp.cdn.aws.wfu.edu/sites/429/2022/09/WFU-Green-Building-Policy_2018.pdf
8 http://www.usgbc.org
9 https://energync.org/hb589
10 https://rmi.org/insight/virtual-power-purchase-agreement
11 https://sustainability.wfu.edu/renewable-energy
sustainability.wfu.edu