Colorado State Programs & People
Working Toward Clean Energy
Published May 2006
CSU is on the forefront of energy technology development to ease high energy costs, increase efficiency and help the environment.
The University's committment to purchase wind power for 20 University buildings is projected to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 542,000 pounds per year.
Whether by wind or sun power, engine development or building construction, Colorado State University is exploring new energy technology to benefit people and industries locally and throughout the world. In this era of rising utility costs and a growing desire for an energy future that’s secure, reliable, and efficient, university researchers are finding solutions in areas ranging from green building techniques to innovative public-private energy efficiency programs.
Consider just a few examples of Colorado State’s commitment to clean energy technolgy:
The new Distributed Power Generation Research Center, the first such center of its kind in the nation, is developing a low-emissions, high-efficiency engine that could improve the reliability of the electrical power grid.
The Materials Engineering Laboratory has developed a manufacturing technology to produce low-cost, high-power photovoltaic solar cells, creating a reliable and inexpensive renewable energy source that could greatly reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.
EnviroFit has been testing a fleet of low-emission, three-wheeled tricycles on the streets of the Philippines.
Colorado State is involved in the region’s Clean Energy Cluster, which develops partnerships between private companies and the public sector to foster mutually beneficial energy efficiency, innovation, and economic development
EnviroFit, borne out of the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory, is responding to staggering air pollution in Third World countries by retrofitting engines with conversion kits that vastly reduce hydrocarbon emissions while increasing fuel efficiency.
The multidisciplinary Institute for the Built Environment continues to foster stewardship and sustainability of the built environment through its research-based educational forum.
By purchasing wind power, the university is saving thousands of dollars per year in utility costs and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 542,000 pounds per year.
Engines research addresses "actual, real, felt needs"
Research at CSU’s Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory, for example, is well suited to addressing “actual, real, felt needs” both locally and globally. EnviroFit International, established jointly as a private, non-profit corporation by the College of Engineering and College of Business, develops and disseminates technologies that reduce pollution and enhance energy efficiency in developing countries. EnviroFit has been testing a fleet of low-emission, three-wheeled tricycles on the streets of the Philippines using technology developed at Colorado State.
In Manila alone, pollution from two-stroke engine tricycles contributes 2,000 premature deaths, 9,000 cases of severe respiratory illness and $430 million in economic costs each year.
"In the city of Manila alone, pollution from these tricycles contributes heavily to 2,000 premature deaths, 9,000 cases of severe respiratory illness and $430 million in economic costs that occur each year as a result of poor air quality," says Bryan Willson, EECL director and executive director of EnviroFit. "On a global basis, the costs are many times these numbers."
The field test is expected to confirm that the vehicles will achieve the same 90 percent pollution reduction and 35 percent fuel savings as prototypes developed and tested at Colorado State. The project also will allow the company and its in-country partners to set up manufacturing operations in preparation for widespread production in 2006.
Research to develop a low-emissions, high-efficiency engine could improve the reliability and efficiency of the electrical power grid.
Here at home, Caterpillar and Woodward Governor recently made significant donations to the EECL to develop a low-emissions, high-efficiency engine that could improve the reliability and efficiency of the electrical power grid. The new Distributed Power Generation Research Center, managed by Rudy Stanglmaier, mechanical engineering assistant professor, will conduct research on distributed power generation, an increasingly popular solution for power companies working to keep up with demand and increasing competition under deregulation. Peak power demand is expected to grow by 2 percent per year through 2010, according to the North American Electric Reliability Council.
Energy initiatives address efficiency
To address issues such as record summer heat, power demands and brownouts throughout the nation, a Colorado State associate dean has initiated an innovative public-private sector energy efficiency program.
Wade Troxell, interim associate dean for Research and Economic Development in the College of Engineering, is leading a core group of organizations that demonstrate how to better use existing energy resources to save energy, reduce costs and lessen environmental impacts while promoting local energy-technology companies.
"The vision of the Clean Energy Cluster of Northern Colorado is to develop a partnership among private companies and public institutions that fosters mutually beneficial energy efficiency, innovation, and economic development," Troxell says. "We are striving to reduce energy costs and be more responsible with our natural resources while also strengthening the area’s economic base."
Helping to drive the initiative is the Clean Energy Cluster in the College of Engineering, which include about 25 faculty who have self-identified their work as being part of clean energy research and development, Troxell says.
Northern Colorado is one of the best places to be involved in a broad array of clean energy efforts, as shown by a recent, nationwide study. Troxell points to the Innovation-Entrepreneurship Nexus study, which examined a decade of data from 394 regions of varying sizes across the country. Fort Collins finished No. 1 overall in the rankings of the most innovative and entrepreneurial regions in the United States.
Parameters for the study included entrepreneurial activity among new and growing companies during an 11-year period; innovation based on the number of patents, research, and development dollars spent; and number of high-tech industries. The study was commissioned by the federal Small Business Administration and the Edward Lowe Foundation, a Michigan-based entrepreneurial support organization.
Solar and wind power
The sun is a key player in photovoltaics research, an inexpensive renewable energy source that can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Photovoltaics has the potential to better meet the energy needs of the world's six billion people, one-third of whom live without electricity.
Photovoltaics research has the potential to better meet the energy needs of the world's six billion people, one-third of whom live without electricity.
Professor W.S. Sampath and his research group at the Materials Engineering Laboratory at Colorado State have developed a manufacturing technology to efficiently produce photovoltaic solar cells, which can be one of the most affordable and efficient energy sources of the future.
"Without moving parts or external fuel, photovoltaic devices directly convert absorbed sunlight into electrical current," Sampath says. "The high-powered devices produce no waste or pollution, and by using the technology developed at Colorado State, the devices will soon be mass produced at low costs." The cost of manufacturing photovoltaics has the potential to be less than $1 per watt of electricity generated, competitive with current methods of electricity generation in most parts of the United States and the world.
Professor W.S. Sampath and his research group at the Materials Engineering Laboratory at Colorado State have developed a more efficient way to produce photovoltaic solar cells.
Expanding the use of photovoltaics historically has been limited by the lack of manufacturing volume, scarcity of construction materials, and other issues. Solar cells, then, must be manufactured like other mass-produced items to become available and affordable to the mass public, says Kurt Barth, research associate at the Materials Engineering Laboratory. And with the help of a company called AVA Technologies, photovoltaics has the potential to move into the world of mass production and become one of the most environmentally clean and cost-effective energy sources available.
AVA Technologies, located in Fort Collins, was founded in part to secure government funding for photovoltaic research and development, Sampath says. The Department of Energy’s Invention and Innovation grant, developed for individuals or small businesses, is providing financial and technical support to AVA Technologies to continue its key work in energy-saving concepts and technologies. Talks now are under way with several large, multi-national companies to mass produce solar cells, Sampath says.
Other energy answers are in the wind. The university recently made a one-year commitment with Xcel Energy to purchase wind power as the sole energy source for 20 university buildings. By purchasing more than 300,000 kilowatt-hours of wind power for buildings located on Colorado State campuses throughout the state, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by nearly 542,000 pounds per year and the university will save almost $4,700 per year in utility costs.
Green building design
Building design also can help answer issues of diminishing fossil fuel supplies, rising energy costs, and the effects of pollution on health. Colorado State’s Department of Construction Management is leading the way in this emerging field, called "green" or sustainable building.
As director of the Institute for the Built Environment, Brian Dunbar assisted the Poudre School District in creating its first sustainable school, Zach Elementary, and more recently Fossil Ridge High School.
Sustainable building practices integrate energy efficiency with the use of healthy, nontoxic materials from recycled or renewable sources. The Institute for the Built Environment, a research center established in 1994 by faculty at CSU, has helped create hands-on learning opportunities and courses that focus on sustainability and environmental sensitivity in construction and design. The green building sector of the construction industry is gaining momentum, says Brian Dunbar, professor and IBE director.
"Cities, businesses, and school districts are quickly adopting mandates for green building," Dunbar says. "Citizens and corporations are realizing that environmental goals are worth pursuing. A green building uses far less energy, so the operating costs are significantly lower than those of a traditional building. And people are recognizing the relationship between indoor air quality and the health and productivity of building occupants."
The latest IBE sustainable building projects include Fossil Ridge High School in the Poudre School District, the City of Ft. Collins Transit Center at Lory Student Center, and green classrooms in Guggenhiem Hall at Colorado State. The projects are registered by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, a national standard administered by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The IBE also is helping to carry out provisions of the Talloires Declaration, an international, 10-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations, and outreach at colleges and universities. The declaration, which has been signed by more than 300 university presidents and chancellors in 40 countries, was signed by CSU in 2001.
Originally published in the Spring 2006 Colorado State University Alumni Magazine.
