Friends & Other Advocates - Part of Our mission here at Our Santa Fe River is to inform the public about issues pertaining to the water quality and quantity of the Santa Fe River. While science tells us that climate change is irrefutable, science also tells us that it is not too late to take action to avoid or reduce the worst impacts. Sign below to tell Gov. ICT was responsible for the design of a new Central Utility Plant (CUP) for the University of Floridas College of Veterinary Medicine campus. Web Design. Your email address will not be published. Please, University of Florida Facilities Services, $2.8 million/year in chilled water utility savings, $13.2 million/year in combined heat and power utility savings, 25% total campus greenhouse gas reduction. Utilities, Water Utilities, Sanitary Sewerage Utilities, Storm Drainage Utilities, Fuel Distribution Utilities, Electrical Utilities, Electrical Utility Transmission and Distribution, Utility Substations, Utility Transformers, High-Voltage Switchgear and Protection Devices, Medium-Voltage Utility Switchgear and Protection Devices, Communications Utilities. The IPCC bluntly cautions: The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human well-being and the health of the planet. David Hastingsis a retired climate scientist and marine geochemist. Electrical, Instrumentation and Control for Electrical Systems, Power Distribution Units, Lighting, Interior Lighting, Emergency Lighting, Exit Signs, Special Purpose Lighting, Exterior Lighting. More than 37,000 people have signed a Change.org petition opposing the plant, andthe Faculty Senate of the University of Florida have called for a delay in committing to any Central Energy Plant plan involving natural gas-based power generation until concerns are addressed and further study completed, advocating for a broader plan that includes a transition to alternative energy sources and major increases in energy-use efficiency. UF faces criticism after hiring Florida surgeon general critical of COVID-19 measures; Florida surgeon general recommends against COVID vaccination for healthy children, costing $100 million more in capital costs than a clean energy alternative, Florida Power Bills Spike Reliance on Fossil Gas to Blame, Florida utilities have passed on a big spike to customers, UF moves full steam ahead with gas-fired power plant plans despite student protest), Mission failure at the University of Florida, UFs planned power plant incompatible with climate commitment, More than 37,000 people have signed a Change.org petition, the Faculty Senate of the University of Florida have called for a delay in committing to any Central Energy Plant plan, A 100% Clean Energy Portfolio Can Cost-Effectively and Reliably Replace the Proposed UF Central Energy Plants Electricity Generation, Hundreds of individuals and groups, including Nashville and the EPA, submit comments on TVAs proposed gas power plant and pipeline, Tracking Decarbonization in the Southeast: 2022 Annual Update, Georgia Powers 2022 Integrated Resource Plan in the Home Stretch: Yet Key Issues Remain. UF should not be constructing an outdated, harmful power plant to meet so much of our energy needs. Specialties, Compartments and Cubicles, Toilet, Bath, and Laundry Accessories, Safety Specialties, Emergency Aid Specialties, Fire Protection Specialties, Exterior Specialties, Security Mirrors and Domes. Your email address will not be published. DeSantis and the University of Florida Board of Trustees to reject the dirty Central Energy Plant Project and all other fracked gas infrastructure and to honor its commitment to renewable energy. In addition to basic design services, ICTassisted Siemens and UF in procurement of major equipment, provided air emissions permitting support, and performed commissioning of the new plant. To that end, we use many articles from many different sources. We do that in many ways including posting articles here on Our website. This was done at UFs Reitz Union in 2014 with great success: Energy consumption dropped by more than 50% after the retrofit, saving UF more than $550,000 per year. Battery storage has also undergone dramatic cost decreases and technological advances. Critics claim that steam produced by the gas plant is critical to campus operations since steam is used to reheat chilled air for buildings. There is leakage in gas fields, where fossil gas is extracted, leakage along the network of transmission pipelines and leakage in the cities from pipelines that snake under the streets. The CUP was designed and constructed using an Energy Performance Contracting delivery approach between the University and Siemens who is the Energy Service Company (ESCO) responsible for developing the project and for long-term performance guarantees associated with the project. Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.

Fracking poses a serious threat to public health, the environment and to the very future of our climate. [emailprotected] Many see this as a short-sighted move, including students (UF moves full steam ahead with gas-fired power plant plans despite student protest) and professors such as Dr. Stephen Mulkey (Mission failure at the University of Florida), as well as community members like Debra Trione who penned a column UFs planned power plant incompatible with climate commitment.

So we send out a huge THANK YOU to all of those friends and other advocates who give their time and energy by writing about what matters most to us, protecting Our Santa Fe River and letting us republish those items here on our website. The University of Florida has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2025. Required fields are marked *. Web Pump Servers. Read the original article with photos at Yahoo.com.

Wendell Porter is a retired UF senior lecturer and professional engineer. Masonry, Unit Masonry, Concrete Form Masonry Units.

Florida responds to climate change by ignoring science and by creating sham task forces and committees which are jokes. Early climate change prediction at UF in 2016 with UF geochemist Andrea Dutton and urban planner Kathryn Frank. Climate science shows we must achieve net-zero GHG emissions between 2040-2055to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees C and avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. On its own, the Central Energy Plant Project fracked gas project would make it virtually impossible to hit the climate goals the City of Gainesville has committed to by 2040. Exterior Improvements, Bases, Ballasts, and Paving, Flexible Paving, Rigid Paving, Curbs, Gutters, Sidewalks, and Driveways, Fences and Gates, Planting, Turf and Grasses. The new plant was designed to generate steam and chilled water for the Vet Med campus with new underground distribution connecting the new plant to the existing utility distribution infrastructure. The chilled water plant is controlled via Siemens Demand Flow chilled water system optimization software designed to reduce energy consumption and improve operations. Take action to Stop UFs fossil gas plant. Wood, Plastics, and Composites, Rough Carpentry. Recent headlines include: Judge rules for professors in University of Florida academic freedom case from the Washington Post; UF faces criticism after hiring Florida surgeon general critical of COVID-19 measures; and even more recently, Florida surgeon general recommends against COVID vaccination for healthy children. Concrete, Concrete Forming and Accessories, Concrete Reinforcing, Cast-in-Place Concrete, Structural Concrete, High-Performance Structural Concrete, Concrete Finishing, Specialty Placed Concrete, Precast Structural Concrete, Precast Concrete Specialties.

The main component of natural gas, methane, traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide. Hundreds of concerned individuals, organizations, local elected officials, and power providers in the Tennessee Valley criticized TVA's proposed Cumberland fossil gas power plant and pipeline plans, and are calling instead for the. A number of issues that we (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy & Southface), and other parties, are concerned about, were either omitted from the Stipulation or otherwise insufficiently addressed. Now in a new arena of university life, questions are surfacing about why would the University of Florida administration propose to build a polluting fossil gas power plant The UF Central Energy Plant on Gale Lemerand Drive right on campus costing $100 million more in capital costs than a clean energy alternative. The project also includes the construction and financing of a new thermal piping distribution loop in the Universitys South District. The final chilled water system consists of four1,000-toncentrifugal chillers, variable speed cooling towers, and VFD driven chilled water and condenser water pumps with space for future equipment to increase the plant capacity to 5,000 tons. The key finding of theRMI reportis that the cost of 100% clean energy is $120 million, much less than the $235 million projected cost of the Central Energy Plant. Electrical Power Generation, Common Work Results for Electrical Power Generation, Instrumentation and Control for Electrical Power Generation, Electrical Power Generation Equipment, Electrical Power Generation Testing. How would this work?

Its been a firestorm of late at the University of Florida with media outlets from across the nation reporting on an array of controversies from academic freedom to COVID protocols. Further, the Universitys research facilities often require narrow climate control tolerances necessitating robust production and distribution systems. This petition starter stood up and took action. While it had a global focus, in the report, Florida was repeatedly used as an example where impacts of climate change are already being felt. This website uses cookies to provide you with more responsive and personalized service. Photo by Jim Tatum. Solar Power Expansion Phase 2, Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Facility, Facilities Northside Generating Station (NGS) 7 Men's and Women's Restroom and Locker Room Upgrade, Pre-Engineered Buildings for the Mcintosh Reciprocating Engine, Kennedy Generation Station Control Room Construction Project, Unit 5 & Mgt2 Outage Contractor Svcs General Outage Maint and Repair, Power Plant Construction Project Lead, Gainesville, FL 326115(Alachua County), Gainesville, FL 326115(Alachua County). To complete the clean-energy portfolio, battery storage is used to provide electricity at night, when the sun is not shining. EcoHosting. Every action we take to cut carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases as soon as possible puts us on the path to reverse the course of climate change. Despite this,the University is considering a fracked gas power plant set to begin construction in 2023. Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Instrumentation and Control for HVAC, HVAC Air Distribution. Renewable energy and battery storage are now economically viable, while the planetary risks of business as usual burning fossil fuels is agonizingly apparent. She uses a clean energy portfolio model using an updated electricity resource procurement processes that meets the challenge of the coming decade. Plumbing, Instrumentation and Control for Plumbing, Plumbing Piping, Plumbing Equipment, Plumbing Fixtures. Sign up to receive clean energy updates in your inbox. And Florida is totally reactive instead of looking ahead. Our organization is composed of concerned citizens working to protect the waters and lands supporting the aquifer, springs and rivers within the watershed of the Santa Fe River by promoting public awareness pertaining to the ecology, quality, and quantity of the waters and lands immediately adjacent to and supporting the Santa Fe River, including its springs and underlying aquifer. While it had a global focus, in the report, Florida was repeatedly used as an example where impacts of climate change are already being felt. Well, Florida should not be the poster child for climate change because not long ago the word itself was not allowed to be used in Tallahassee. We have not progressed from that Medieval mental state where we choose to spend our money on symptoms instead of treating the sources. With an estimated US$300 million capex, the visionary public-private partnership (P3) project involves the design, build, financing, operations, and maintenance of a central energy plant which will provide steam, chilled water, and electricity at the Universitys main Gainesville campus in northern Florida. What do you, our readers, think? A UF graduate, Dr. Sarah Toth, an environmental engineer who now works at. The new Central Plant was designed to replace an aging plant and to provide reliable and redundant capacity for future growth to the campus. Electronic Safety and Security, Electronic Access Control and Intrusion Detection, Electronic Surveillance, Video Surveillance, Electronic Personal Protection Systems, Electronic Detection and Alarm, Fire Detection and Alarm, Radiation Detection and Alarm, Fuel-Oil Detection and Alarm. Id love to hear from those with ties to UF. Finishes, Plaster and Gypsum Board, Ceilings, Flooring, Painting and Coating. He calls the report an atlas of human suffering and has criticized the response by world leaders as criminal abdication.. The style and character of the Central Plant building were designed to respond to the building language of the adjacent campus area with the desired image of a research park area using metal panels and glass areas selectively to provide a sophisticated, modern look that will provide light and openness. The cost of solar has plummeted,decreasing by 85%in the last decade. Here in Gainesville, a beloved institution is choosing a more expensive and less climate-friendly option. Although we have pushed the planet to the brink, its not too late. Improving building efficiency is a fundamental first step in any effort to reduce energy use. Metals, Structural Metal Framing, Metal Fabrications. This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun:David Hastings, Wendell Porter: Clean energy can power UF, save money. (c) 2021 Our Santa Fe River, Inc. All Rights Reserved. While this legacy method has been used for decades, similar institutions are moving away from this inefficient and outdated approach. Our Santa Fe River, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501-(c)(3) organization incorporated in Florida on December 18, 2007. Additionally, building a gas plant locks UF into buying decades of expensive fossil gas. The same type of battery that powers your laptop can provide utility scale power after the sun goes down. Help us protect the Santa Fe River. SAVE THE DATE! Multiple iterations of the new steam and chilled water systems were evaluated in order to reduce energy consumption and to maximize life cycle cost savings for the project. The University of Florida is proposing to build a Central Energy Plant powered by natural gas to replace aging infrastructure. The University of Florida administration has a shortsighted proposal to build a gas power plant right on campus that wouldcost $100 million more than a clean energy alternative. While reducing emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases is feasible, we are told that it can be very expensive. Existing Conditions, Subsurface Investigation. Every membership adds volume to our voice so we can get things done. It will be the universitys largest source of energy posing huge risks to the air and water of the local community -- and worsening our climate crisis by burning dirty fossil fuels around the clock. Sarah wants to see her alma mater do the right thing by its students, the schools financial future, and protecting our natural environment. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The 34- megawatt Central Energy Plant would draw its energy from fossil fuels extracted through dangerous process of hydraulic fracturing.

Together were making a lasting impact across the Southeast. UF has an extraordinary opportunity to save money and do the right thing for the planet. Communications, Structured Cabling, Data Communications, Voice Communications, Audio-Video Communications. In the RMI report, solar is the primary source of electricity; utility-scale solar photovoltaic panels with a rated capacity of 72 MW would be installed. Why would the University of Florida administration propose to build a polluting fossil gas power plant when they have a cheaper alternative? i have been following this story for a long time., We dont approve of avoiding the provided bathrooms in favor of the woods, but overall the nitrates in the Santa, Bill, we stand by our comments that Nestle tells lies that they call puffery. We have not fact-checked the article, What one part in the Tapestry of Creatiom , whose protection ,accepted unilaterally as being the most important could save, A Florida 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation, Alachua County Environmental Protection Department, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Make Our River Smile with Amazon Smile :), methane leakage from natural gas pipelines, David Hastings, Wendell Porter: Clean energy can power UF, save money, St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board Names New Executive Director, OSFR Book Club All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (second half), Unconstitutional Laws Are Hampering Our Fight for Clean and Healthy Waters, Nestle: the worlds most corrupt corporation.