Penn again increases wind-power purchase

The University announced this month that is has tripled its purchase of wind energy, ensuring its status as the leading university purchaser of wind-generated power.

The new arrangement, which Penn finalized in January, means that Penn will obtain around 30 percent of its energy from wind power.

"Penn's purchase really has set a new standard in the higher education field," said Paul Copleman, spokesman for Community Energy Inc., the company from which the University purchases wind energy.

This most recent agreement to buy wind energy is the University's third, said Mike Coleman, director of operations and maintenance for Facilities and Real Estate Services. The contract lasts until 2011.

Copleman added the new agreement will enable the University to purchase wind energy from wind farms across the country, rather than just in Pennsylvania.

Copleman said wind energy is superior to other forms of energy because it is friendly to the environment -- it's not generated by burning fossil fuels and creates no polluting emissions. It is also reduces reliance on foreign energy sources.

Many students seem pleased with the recent purchasing increase.

Penn Environmental Group co-chair and College junior Nishi Shah said that political controversy over the use of fossil fuels for energy makes wind energy even more desirable.

Coleman added that wind energy is the best option for the University because it is a "very dynamic market."

In January, Penn was named the top university consumer of renewable energy in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency. .

"We are light years ahead of the closest university to us," Coleman said. "If every university did what we did, the environment would be a much better place."

Because Penn is a school with a recognizable name, it "really sets the bar high" for other universities that may choose to follow its lead and purchase wind energy, Copleman, the energy company spokesman, said.

However, the decision to invest in wind energy is "not an easy business decision" due to the high cost of wind energy over other forms of energy, he added.

But Shah said that, though wind energy is initially very expensive, it pays off in the long run.

Comments (1)

Dear DP, This article about the attractiveness of wind power ought to have mentioned the consequences of this decision. It is always very easy to proclaim lofty things about such a deal but is it a deal at all for those who pay for Penn? What does tuition cost now? What are the costs that drive that tuition up every year? Could the cost of a University's utility expenses be a part of the tuition? How is a decision made at Penn that voluntarily pays out more than the fair market for a needed commodity? Who permits whom to make these decisions? Every month I am offered this deal from the electric company to buy some wind generated power for my home for an additional charge per month that is 6% of my household bill. Why would I do that? I love the idea, the technology, and the whole modern romance of windmills. Windmills will be a more contributing power source. But, the way this industry will be a fair and equal competitor is to be just that and not to be a subsidized weaker link. I graduated from Penn Architecture in 1975 and, then, the golden dream of all of us from the Grad School was to design solar houses, houses with ground water heat pumps, super insulated houses, wrap all of our big building's spandrel panels with photovoltaic panels and the list of great notions was long and was truly inspiring. We left with fully inflated ideas based on the aroma of reality. That was the spirit of those days! These were lofty thoughts but were sadly misguided as they related to the reality then and still so, now. The cost, the effectiveness of all of these great ideas and their maintenance problems made them all not cost effective nor competitive against the conventional way of doing things. Penn's new contract for 30% wind power has just fallen for the same lofty but expensive goals that will cost every Penn family more in tuition. Is that a proper method of making management decisions at Penn for its own wellbeing and reputation? Is that the way all such cost decisions are made at Penn? If so, I recommend that someone strong and wise take over making these decisions and set a beneficial cost cap policy for Penn and for the families who are paying annual tuitions. Best wishes, Gardner A. Cadwalader Philadelphia gardner A. cadwalader Philadelphia gardnercad@verizon.net

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