A case study on decarbonization: planning, tools, and technologies to meet the low-carbon challenge

Universities worldwide have committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner -- a goal presenting a particular challenge to research-based institutions with massive, high-energy intensive laboratory spaces growing exponentially. Jim Neff and Quindi Guiseppe present a successful campus central energy plant decarbonization project to illustrate new solutions for this challenge including harnessing the sun and implementing multiple new technologies and tools to offset heating loads and eliminate gas from the central plant. They demonstrate a process of systems master planning, assessment, and maximization of ROI in terms of dollars and CO2, and reveal lessons learned.