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Re-Investing DU Wind Credits
Currently, we spend $90,000 annually to purchase energy credits from a company that builds wind turbines in Florida. Not only is this not the best use of your funds, but it isn't very accessible or tangible. I propose we divert those funds to construct our own alternative energy sources. Our project should be accessible to students, not something unverifiable in Florida. Let's make something students can learn from, students can have pride in. Something students can call their own (with a Pioneer logo!).Possible Solutions
There are a few possible solutions. Two of the most promising include building solar panels on the Driscoll center. The current proposal would actually be cost negative to the University and would only provide a fraction of the building's power needs.Another investment opportunity lies at a Photovoltaic project at the airport. Ideally we would be able to invest with much cheaper dollar per kilowatthours than the Driscoll project. I would personally like to see a huge DU made out of solar panels every time I fly into Denver!
The final solution would be to contract through an energy provider in Colorado to provide us our wind energy. The problem comes when negotiating who owns the liability. That is, if we own a turbine who pays for maintenance and upkeep? Who is responsible? These are the questions we are working on.