Yale's Environment School Buys Wind Power

To encourage the development and use of alternative energy sources, the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES) has purchased $3,500 of “renewable energy certificates,” ensuring that 20 percent of the school’s electricity is generated from wind power.

The purchase supports the “20 percent by 2010” campaign in Connecticut, initiated by Hartford-based, nonprofit SmartPower Connecticut. The program encourages businesses and residences to commit to purchasing electricity from renewable sources.

“As an environment school, we should be setting a good example,” said Dean James Gustave Speth. “Supporting the development and use of clean wind energy is compatible with this goal.”

Yale purchased the certificates through the NewWind Energy(tm) program of Community Energy in Wayne, PA, a company that markets and develops wind-generated power from the Fenner Wind Power Facility in Fenner, N.Y.

“By buying NewWind Energy(tm) certificates, F&ES ensures that more clean, renewable energy gets delivered into the system, and displaces conventional power generated from polluting sources such as coal or oil,” said Jeffrey Keeler, the New England Director for Community Energy, Inc.

Keeler noted that F&ES is the first customer in the state for Community Energy, and the purchase will generate more business throughout the state and region. “Supporting the new wind energy projects sets an example for other schools, businesses, governments and individuals in Connecticut and New England to follow.”

Another aspect of the F&ES’ commitment to enhanced environmental performance is its plan for the construction of a complex that will include a “green” facility. The complex will be a model of energy conservation and efficiency; it will employ systems for efficient waste management while restoring the surrounding area’s ecology. The complex is at the center of the school’s current $60 million capital campaign.