Theme: Energy Efficiency & Conservation

These projects focus on reducing energy usage, providing novel solutions to campus energy usage, or otherwise help us to move to cleaner power sources. 

Campus for Landscape Decarbonization

Project Description

Urban landscapes are an understudied source of carbon emissions and water consumption, yet their environmental impacts remain largely unmeasured. At UC Berkeley, where 40% of the campus is covered by landscaped spaces, hardscaping materials like concrete, steel, and asphalt contribute to embodied carbon and resource use. This project develops a life cycle assessment (LCA) framework to quantify these impacts, identify high- and low-impact landscape elements, and propose sustainable design strategies for impact reduction. By integrating LCA into...

Solar Thermal Heating Systems in the Berkeley Student Cooperative

Project Description

The BSC intends to install solar thermal heating systems in its African-American Theme House (AATH) and Oscar Wilde, its LGBTQIA & Queer Theme House. The BSC celebrated its 85th anniversary last October and remains a cornerstone of student housing at UC Berkeley. As such, this project is a long term investment in green energy and community well-being for generations of co-op students beyond the 59 that currently reside in AATH and Wilde.

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Capturing Energy Savings from VAV Box Minimums

Project Description

This project will move the campus towards carbon neutrality by reducing campus energy waste and the associated emissions, by reducing minimum airflows without changing the amount of ventilation (fresh) air entering the building.

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STAR Microbial Fuel Cell

Project Description

STAR's Microbial Fuel Cell project aims to reduce the carbon footprint and waste produced by our engineering team, and to set a precedent for improving sustainability in all areas - even those such as rocketry which seem, at a first glance, to be the antithesis of sustainability.

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Learning and LEEDing at Cal

Project Description

This grant will fund three student interns and the expansion of the BS@C LEED Intern Program to offer project LEED certification services for campus renovation projects currently below the threshold required by the campus Policy on Sustainable Practices.

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Biofuels Technology R&D

Project Description

Started in 2015, Biofuels Technology Club (BTC) is a student-run organization whose mission is to engineer a pilot processing plant that will repurpose waste cooking oil produced by Cal Dining facilities into biodiesel for use as a cleaner alternative fuel for campus vehicles.

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Wurster Hall Sub-Metering

Project Description

Install energy sub-meters in five floors of Wurster Hall to help achieve LEED-EBOM.

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Retrofitting the RSF into a Human Powered Gym

Project Description

Retrofit a stationary bike and 28 ellipticals at the RSF to derive power from human use.

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Cal Greeks Energy Competition- Green Cup

Project Description

Use an energy competition as a way to implement small scale retrofits, reinforce sustainable behavior, and gain visibility for sustainable practices within the Greek system.

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Air Handling Unit Transmitters

Project Description

Pilot program to install differential pressure transmitters on air handling units in eight buildings on campus.

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