UMass Lowell receives honors, grants for use of renewable energy

BOSTON --Powering the dorms at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell is becoming a breeze.

Thirteen percent of the university's electricity comes from wind turbines -- enough to power each of the eight residence halls. That kind of clean energy grabbed the attention of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

On Tuesday representatives from the agency recognized UMass-Lowell's achievement as the first state agency to use renewable energy. The school was also awarded nearly $20,000 to support additional environmentally friendly projects.

"The university's primary mission is sustainability," Diana Prideaux-Brune, vice chancellor of UMass-Lowell said. "Our record in recent years has been to practice what we preach."

State environmental officials awarded money to 16 different groups, including the Department of Corrections and the Division of Community Development, for programs that improved energy efficiency and reduced pollution and waste.

The agencies have to apply for funding, Vanessa Gulati, spokeswoman for the office, said. She asks if the project has an environmental benefit, but also: "Does it have an economic benefit? Is it innovative? Creative? Could the project continue" if one the state funds has been depleted?

Getting electricity from wind turbines is a first step in a much larger transformation at UMass-Lowell, Prideaux-Brune said. The university will soon be home to an $80 million nanobiology research lab, which it expects will bring the school to the forefront in technology and attract more students, Prideaux-Brune said. And just as important, she said, "it will be as environmentally friendly and efficient as it can be."

Plans for the lab include high energy-efficiency mechanics, and a "clean in, clean out" filtration system, Prideaux-Brune said, "so anything that leaves the building is purified." The lab will also be dedicated to using as few hazardous or toxic chemicals as possible, both for research and for maintenance and cleaning.

University officials would also like to bring renewable sources of energy closer to home.

Right now, the electricity comes from the Midwest. UMass buys certificates that guarantee the power came from wind turbines.

But Mark Lukitsch, the UMass energy manager, wants some of the school's energy sources closer at hand. The money from the state will help the university install solar panels on the roof a building on campus that produce enough energy to power three houses. The panels will provide electricity to the building, Ball Hall. He also plans to buy a more energy-efficient water pump for the heating plant.

"We need to find new ways and better ways to get energy," Lukitsch said.