Southern Illinois University System Edwardsville : SIUE Expands Use of Renewable Electricity

As of January 2017, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is purchasing 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources through the use of renewable energy credits. Renewable energy previously made up 50 percent of the University's electrical supply.

'The University is committed to being more sustainable. By using only renewable electricity, we have substantially reduced our carbon footprint,' said Facilities Management Director Paul Fuligni. 'In addition, we are supporting the further development of renewable energy resources.'

Only 40 other colleges and universities have reported to the Federal Environmental Protection Agency their use of 100 percent renewable electricity.

Each renewable energy credit represents one megawatt hour of electricity generated from a renewable source in the U.S. or Canada, such as wind, solar, biomass or small hydroelectric power. The University uses approximately 54,000 megawatt hours of electricity in one year, the equivalent of approximately 5,000 homes.

'The cost of renewable power is competitive with conventional sources,' Fuligni added. 'The additional cost of the renewable electricity is only about 1 percent of the total cost.' The renewable energy credits are provided by the University's electricity supplier, MidAmerican Energy of Urbandale, Iowa, and are certified by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e Energy Program.