In 2008, President David Boren signed a contract with energy company OG&E to make 100 percent of the energy purchased by OU come from wind power by 2013, according to Daily archives.

Beginning in 2010, OU started phasing in purchases of wind power, Brian Ellis, OU Facilities Management Director, said. In 2010, the university bought 30 percent of its supply of annual electricity as wind power, and in 2011, 60 percent of purchased energy comes from wind power, Ellis said.

2012 should see that percentage rise to 90 percent, and by 2013, the University will purchase only electricity derived from the OU Spirit Wind Farm located in the panhandle of Oklahoma, university spokesman Chris Shilling said.

“In the future, if energy costs skyrocket again, our plan gives us the potential to pay less because we’re using wind power,” Ellis said.

This plan is keeping OU on track for its goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, and it is a good opportunity for OU to be an environmental leader by reducing its carbon footprint, Ellis said.

OU is currently powered through a combination of purchased energy and energy supplied by OU’s own power plant, Ellis said. OU has been using the same power plant for more than 50 years, and construction is nearly finished on the new electrical co-generation plant located on Lindsey Street and Jenkins Avenue, Ellis said.

“Our existing power plant is grandfathered, so it has no emission requirements at all,” Ellis said. “We’re building a more efficient, cleaner, $70 million power plant that will hopefully be completed by this fall.”

Over the next year, the new plant will become fully operational after significant testing, Ellis said.

These changes in OU energy policy add merit to the other changes OU has recently undergone to lessen its carbon footprint, Shilling said. From more efficient light bulbs to greener printers to the natural gas-burning CART vehicles, OU is a pioneer in environmentally friendly technology, Shilling said.