OU was named by The Princeton Review as one of 311 green colleges in America this year for its green efforts on campus that OU officials hope to continue by creating a new power plant that wastes less energy.

OU also will complete a new energy plant that will make more energy in less time, reducing emissions, said Brian Ellis, OU Facilities Management director.

The new plant will have two 7.5-megawatt turbines fueled by natural gas, generating heat and producing steam. Instead of boiling water to create steam, these turbines will create the necessary heat extremely quickly, and they also can be turned off fairly quickly, making it easier to control usage, Ellis said.

This will vastly reduce the amount of natural gas required to generate a single British thermal unit of energy, thereby reducing the university’s total emissions, Ellis said.

OU produces an estimated 10 to 20 percent of its own energy. Once operational, this plant could bring that percentage up to 20 to 30 percent, Ellis said.

OU’s current power plant was built in 1946 to provide steam to directly heat the university at a time when radiators were the primary method of heating rooms. It isn’t very efficient because it has four boilers that use natural gas to boil water to produce steam, Ellis said.

The old power plant likely will be partially decommissioned, and the rest of the plant will be used as a backup during peak times in winter and summer, Ellis said.

The $70 million project, under construction at Jenkins and Lindsey Streets, should be completed sometime this semester, being fully operational by next summer, Ellis said.

Housing and Food promotes going green

Lauren Royston, OU’s Housing and Food Services spokeswoman, said OU has been taking a very proactive approach to making the residence halls more environmentally-conscious.

Campaigns across campus encourage students to recycle, conserve water and turn off appliances when not in use, as well as promoting riding their bicycles instead of driving to class to help reduce OU’s total carbon footprint, Royston said.

One environmentally-friendly innovation in the dorms are the hydration stations. With one in each residence hall, chilled water is made available, giving students an option other than plastic water bottles, Royston said.

OU to use wind power

OU has made a commitment to helping the environment by installing low-flow toilets, occupancy sensors for office lights and by building an experimental green roof on top of the National Weather Center’s sixth floor, Ellis said.

In 2008, OU President David Boren signed an agreement to purchase 100 percent of OU’s OG&E-supplied electricity from renewable energy resources by 2013, according to Daily archives

In 2010, 30 percent of OU’s power came from wind power from the OU Spirit Wind Farm in Oklahoma’s panhandle, according to Daily archives. The university is on track to increase that amount of wind power to 100 percent by 2013, according to Daily archives.

Energy saving tips

• Take advantage of public transportation like the Cleveland Area Rapid Transit system, walk or ride your bike instead of driving.

• Take notes on a laptop instead of on paper and turn in assignments online instead of printing hardcopies when possible.

• Unplug power cords to devices you aren’t using to cut out idle energy consumption.

• Turn off the lights in your dorm or apartment when you aren’t there.

• Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth.

• Don’t use plastic bags — take reusable canvas bags to the store when shopping.

• Recycle cans, bottles, cardboard boxes paper and newspapers.

• Buy used textbooks.

Source: Goodhousekeeping.com and Earth911.com