About Energy: The use of fossil fuels contributes significantly to the greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming.  UD is likely to be severely impacted by extreme storms, sea level rise, power outages, and infrastructural damage that would ensue if global warming is not kept below 1.5° C.

Current State of Renewable Energy: The University of Delaware’s energy portfolio is currently restricted by utility contracts and the local grid. Between 2007 and 2019, UD reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 16%. This was due largely to the city shifting its energy grid away from coal. Looking at a different data set between 2013-2022 (to the right) shows that the University of Delaware’s total energy consumption has dropped by 4.5%, but total electricity consumption has increased by 7.9% across the same period and its total MTCO2 (GHG Emissions) has increased by 1.5% from 2014 to 2022.

Delaware Governor Carney has set goals mandating Delaware utilities derive 40% of their energy from renewable resources by 2035 (State of Delaware, 2021) and reduce GHG emissions by 26% by 2025.  Further, many comparator institutions have also set GHG emission reductions of 40-100% by 2030. Thus, UD must develop a plan to shift to 40% renewables to match.  Being one of the most influential institutions in the state, UD needs to lead by example and collaborate with the State of Delaware and push beyond the 40% benchmark already established.

About Buildings: The energy efficiency and retrofitting of buildings are key to curbing energy consumption. Lighting, temperature control, metering, and building envelope upgrades (i.e. retrofitting windows, doors, walls, and roofs) can all be optimized to decrease our carbon emissions.  Further, buildings must be bird-friendly and compliment environmentally friendly landscaping. In 2021, all federal building must use bird-friendly glass from the ground up to 40 feet.