The university of Dayton will offset 100% of its electricity needs through renewable energy thanks to a new agreement that will capture waste heat to generate power.
The long-term agreement among UD, AES Ohio, a regional energy supplier, and Tallgrass, an energy infrastructure company, will reduce the overall campus carbon footprint by 71% when the waste heat power project goes live in late 2025. The new waste-to-heat power facility, developed in part by Kanin Energy, will capture heat currently being generated by a compressor station on the Rockies Express natural gas pipeline in Fayette County, Ohio, about an hour southeast of Dayton.
Because the heat is already being generated for another purpose, the electricity the new project will generate is considered decarbonized and a renewable energy source.
Tallgrass will construct and operate the facility that will capture the power, and AES Ohio will purchase it to meet the electricity needs of campus. Construction will begin later this year.
This project will also provide new teaching, research and hands-on learning opportunities to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed for a career in clean energy, as have other campus renewable projects. For example, the solar field at Curran Place serves as a testbed for graduate engineers in the clean and renewable energy program and for biology students looking to maximize the impact of prairies in lowering the operating temperature of the arrays while providing pollinator habitat.
“In our Marianist tradition of being good stewards of our resources, we identified and pursued this sustainability solution that reduces environmental impacts while supporting an equitable and prosperous University of Dayton, now and into the future."
Rick Krysiak, vice president for facilities management and planning, said his division has long been committed to finding a large-scale renewable energy solution for campus.
“In our Marianist tradition of being good stewards of our resources, we identified and pursued this sustainability solution that reduces environmental impacts while supporting an equitable and prosperous University of Dayton, now and into the future,” he said. “We believe this solution will help us achieve our energy goals.”
As a member of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, UD has pledged to go carbon neutral by 2050. The waste-to-energy facility is one component of the University’s overall plan that includes reducing campus energy consumption by incorporating green building standards on construction projects and implementing energy efficiency strategies for existing buildings.