New energy plant increases power, decreases pollution

This August NYU broke ground on its new co-generation plant, a facility that simultaneously produces electricity and thermal energy. It is designed to triple NYU’s energy production while reducing pollutants by an estimated 50 to 75 percent.

In a press release, NYU President John Sexton stated that the new co-generation plant would move NYU forward in its efforts to go green.

“This project not only exemplified a new, more constructive dialogue with our local community and its leaders, but it also has clear and widespread benefits in and of itself,” he said. “It benefits our city’s environment by reducing pollutants and greenhouse emissions and vastly increasing the efficiency of energy production compared to conventional technologies.”

The move translates into a reduction in particulate matter, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions that would have otherwise been released had NYU relied upon Con Edison’s power grid.

Jeremy Friedman, project administrator of the sustainability task force, is excited that NYU is taking steps to further its greening initiative.

“We have been able to work with Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg and his office’s initiatives to make the city more environmentally friendly, and they have reached out to us, too. We were the first to accept their challenge to reduce emissions by 30 percent in 10 years, and I am pleased to say that we expect and find it likely to meet that goal even sooner,” Friedman said.

The new plant will generate an estimated 40 percent of NYU’s total energy consumption, an improvement over the old plant that, according to Friedman, only satisfied 20 percent of NYU’s need.

Friedman explained that the co-generation plant is an example of localizing power, another means of furthering the green initiative in a way seldom discussed.

“People talk about buying local produce and food, but localized power is often overlooked,” he said. “There’s a lot of waste in that traditional system, and by localizing production, we reduce that considerable transmission loss.”

The increased energy production of the new co-gen plant not only means less of an environmental impact from the university but also a greater capacity to maintain the safety and well-being of students in the city.

During the blackout of 2003, NYU was able to take in people and function as a community shelter because a considerable amount of energy utilized on campus was self-generated.


Hilary Tuttle is a contributing writer. E-mail her at university@nyunews.com.