{"id":185791,"date":"2024-07-17T09:19:42","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T13:19:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/?p=185791"},"modified":"2024-07-17T09:19:43","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T13:19:43","slug":"leading-by-example-uri-recognized-for-states-only-college-solar-carport-and-more-at-state-clean-energy-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/news\/leading-by-example-uri-recognized-for-states-only-college-solar-carport-and-more-at-state-clean-energy-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading by example: URI recognized for state\u2019s only college solar carport and more at state Clean Energy Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Recognized for work powering local energy grid and producing energy-savvy graduates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

July 16, 2024<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The sunflowers and vegetable bounty at the Agronomy Farm at the University of Rhode Island provide clear evidence of the ample sun shining on that part of Kingston. For good reasons, a farm has been located at that part of campus since 1888.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the street, URI staff working in non-agricultural departments at the University looked at the sunshine in the area, too, but for different purposes \u2014 to create a solar energy-producing parking lot on campus, one of the largest in Rhode Island and the only of its kind at any college in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solar carport, created in partnership with Kearsarge Energy<\/a> at the University\u2019s Plains Road South commuter parking lot (#31), now provides power and features prominently in the University\u2019s sustainability initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University was recently recognized for its unique carport and other campus-wide efforts by Governor Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources at the seventh annual Lead by Example Energy Awards. The Lead by Example program encourages state agencies, cities and towns, and public schools across Rhode Island to work together to meet the state\u2019s goal of achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

URI was recognized with other state entities, municipalities, and public schools for strides in renewable energy and energy efficiency achievements, including the carport, its long-running Energy Fellows<\/a> program, now in its 17th year, as well as efficiency projects at its Narragansett Bay Campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seth Pilotte<\/a> (MESM \u201920), URI NBC Construction Projects Manager at the Bay Campus, terms much of the prior infrastructure on campus \u201cmajor energy hogs\u201d and says that needed change-outs are making a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
(Left to Right) Seth Pilotte, Ken Burke, and Ryan Carillo were recognized for leading the green energy work and improvements happening across URI.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Projects at the Bay Campus have reduced annual campus carbon emissions by 665 metric tons, equivalent to the annual gas consumption of 158 automobiles or the energy usage of 87 single family homes. Among them are the replacement of the Bay Campus\u2019 entire maintenance vehicle automobile fleet with electric low speed vehicles (LSV). The campus also replaced high-consumption metal halide and fluorescent light fixtures across its buildings with LED lights and swapped old boilers for new higher-efficiency models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look up<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kenneth Burke \u201993 \u201910, associate director of capital projects, said URI\u2019s Facilities Group took the governor\u2019s mandate seriously and wanted to make changes that would create a big impact to help meet the state\u2019s goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solar carport at the base of campus was one of their biggest projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the new lot provides a more attractive environment for visitors and fans of Rhody Softball, the carport\u2019s impact extends beyond the diamond to the surrounding communities. According to Ryan Carrillo, director of planning and real estate development at URI, the solar canopy provides 1.8 million kilowatt hours of energy every year, the equivalent of 255 homes\u2019 electrical use per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
ENERGY LEADERS: URI\u2019s Cooperative Extension Energy Fellows Program received Special Honors at the 2024 Lead by Example Awards. Kate Venturini Hardesty (holding award) was joined by several Energy Fellow alumni and state and URI leaders, including Acting State Energy Commissioner Chris Kearns \u201908, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Governor Dan McKee, to celebrate the University\u2019s work producing energy-savvy graduates in Rhode Island.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

URI received a net present value payment based on what savings would have been realized over 25 years, totaling a one-time payment of $906,000, to help cover the cost of the parking lot project. The solar arrays also \u201coffset\u201d the emissions for the 308 vehicles that can be parked in the lot year-round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, while URI is leading the way, in their haste to make their way to class, some students parking under the carport this past school year may not be aware of its added features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior Sanah Feroz is vice president of the Student Senate and a URI commuter. As a regular user of the #31 commuter parking lot, she says she welcomed parking with shelter, especially on snowy and rainy days, with easy access to the Rhody Shuttle. She was glad to learn the new parking area also serves a larger purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to learn that this nice parking shelter also serves long-term sustainability goals,\u201d she says, \u201cand is saving energy. Let\u2019s get the word out! I think it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powering Rhode Island\u2019s energy future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

URI also received recognition at the Lead by Example ceremony for a program that is seeding the clean energy workforce of the future. The University\u2019s Energy Fellows Program received the first \u201cspecial honor\u201d in its unique category to recognize its contributions to building the clean energy workforce in Rhode Island. (New mentors for the program are always welcome.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several Energy Fellows alumni now working in the industry joined program administrator Kate Venturini-Hardesty \u201906 \u201910 to accept the award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bryan Evans \u201919, program manager at Rhode Island\u2019s Green and Healthy Homes Initiative, was a 2018 Energy Fellow and says he was thrilled to see URI\u2019s recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now working in the field, he calls his time as a URI Energy Fellow invaluable. Evans says the program let him take learning from the classroom and translate it into real-world solutions to further drive energy and business solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI credit URI for laying the foundation for my success in this field,\u201d he says. \u201cThe hands-on experience and specialized education were an amazing opportunity for me to refine my skills and pursue what I love. I am proud to have been part of URI\u2019s commitment to energy and sustainability and look forward to continuing to see URI lead by example.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Acting State Energy Commissioner for Rhode Island, Chris Kearns \u201908 is glad to see his alma mater leading the way with these changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Office of Energy Resources has had a great working relationship with URI and the Energy Fellows Program for the last decade,\u201d said Kearns. \u201cAt this year\u2019s Lead by Example Awards, we recognized the valuable contributions of the program in providing students with professional development opportunities in energy. We also highlighted the energy improvement projects on campus, including one of the state\u2019s first large solar carports. This partnership shows how we\u2019re working together to drive innovation and sustainability in Rhode Island.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Efficiency projects at the Narragansett Bay Campus were also recognized. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4762,"featured_media":185794,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4762"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185791"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185803,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185791\/revisions\/185803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}