The Thermal Systems Task Force released its official recommendation for the University of Oregon’s new boiler heating system, titled Option 2B, on Feb. 5. The recommendation and staff report were submitted to President Scholz to recommend an option to the Board of Trustees at its meeting next month.
According to the final report, Option 2B will shift 54% of steam heating from natural gas to electricity and will provide the fastest emissions reduction for the university.
This option will reduce up to 45% of greenhouse gas emissions per year once installed and can provide a foundation for a second thermal heating system transition.
Option 2B can be combined with another electrode boiler to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It can be repurposed to provide clean heating for a future transition from a steam to hot water distribution system.
The task force compared four options for UO’s new heating system: business as usual, where nothing is changed; an electrode boiler, which replaces natural gas boilers with electrode boilers; a heat recovery chiller, which chills water in the atmosphere; and geo-exchange plus a heat recovery chiller, which adds a geothermal element to the chiller.
The Findings
The task force developed its findings and recommendations into a report. It found that:
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The “Business as usual” option is not acceptable, and electrifying the university’s heating system is the best option for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions.
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The university needs to take steps to ensure it is directionally consistent with current climate science and relevant climate commitments at all levels.
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Time is of the essence and the university needs to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in the near future.
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The university must prepare actions on-site to prepare for the transition and carbon offsets will not improve the efficiency of the university’s heating system.
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Natural gas costs are likely to increase, and the university should prepare by transitioning its heating system to electricity. This will require a larger budget commitment for energy.
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Transitioning from steam to a hot water distribution system is not advisable at this time. The transition will take over a decade to complete, the costs are high and construction will disrupt campus.
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There is an increased probability of technological innovation in steam generation thanks to the research and experimentation with industrial-scale heat production technology.
The task force recommends President Scholz charge the Office of Sustainability with assessing the next steps in the university’s decarbonization plan. The office should evaluate whether Option 2B creates new opportunities and may be sufficient enough to invest in further greenhouse gas reductions.
The task force gave notes on other options in its final report and recommended the university not to pursue the other options. Reasons included the need to transition off fossil fuels, costs of installation and operation, lack of immediate fossil fuel emissions reduction, construction time period, campus disruption and more.
The task force completed their work and submitted their final report and recommendation to President John Karl Scholz this week. Scholz will review the report and the task force’s recommendation before giving his own recommendation to the Board of Trustees the following month.
The board will then review all the options, with Sholz’s recommendation in mind, and vote for the new heating option.
