Jersey City, N.J. – February 8, 2013 – Saint Peter’s University announced today that a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Green Energy Command Center will be held on Wednesday, February 20 at 10:00 a.m. The command center, located in the lower level of Dinneen Hall on the Jersey City campus, is a component of the University’s $6.3 million energy services contract. Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., president of Saint Peter’s University, will be joined by Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, representatives from the renewable energy generation company, ENER-G, and members of the Saint Peter’s community for the ceremony.
In November 2011, the University began a green energy initiative on its West Campus, which is now in the final stages of completion. The state-of-the-art program involved the installation of solar arrays above a number of buildings on the campus to generate electricity. These buildings include Dinneen Hall, Pope Hall, McDermott Hall and the The Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J. Recreational Life Center (RLC) parking deck. A cogeneration plant was also built in the basement of Pope Hall that produces both low carbon heat and electricity for academic buildings on the West Campus.
The Green Energy Command Center serves as the nucleus of the entire initiative as it is filled with software and equipment that tracks the amount and type of energy being used on campus, the total amount of energy savings and data on the carbon saving benefits. This center will serve as a learning laboratory and will be used as an educational tool for students from a wide range of academic programs.
“Green, sustainable energy is an extremely important concept for our students, not only because of the value today’s students place on the environment, but also because it is likely to play a role in their careers and their future,” said Cornacchia. “While the Green Energy Command Center will serve as a valuable learning tool for our environmental and natural science students, it is likely to impact students in a number of different majors. The center provides real-time data and insights on how sustainability is benefiting our campus and that will provide students with an inspiring learning hub.”
Saint Peter’s University has maintained a commitment to sustainable energy. Previous green projects at Saint Peter’s include the implementation of 100 percent renewable energy generated by wind power as the sole source of purchased electricity. In 2008, President Cornacchia also joined more than 650 others in signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) to acknowledge that the University will continue to be an early adopter of environmentally friendly solutions.
With this current initiative, Saint Peter’s is setting the standard for green energy performance in the education arena by installing clean technology that will reduce its carbon emissions by 6.4 million pounds per year. This will equate to the carbon saving benefits of a 615 acre pine forest. With the completion of this project, initiatives will continue and expand beyond the West Campus.
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Saint Peter’s University, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention and grounding in the liberal arts, educates a diverse community of learners in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment.
Contact:
Angeline Boyer
aboyer1@saintpeters.edu
(201) 761-6238