A Cost-Minimizing Approach to Eliminating the Primary Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions at Institutions of Higher Education

Autor/inn/en	Timmons, David S.; Weil, Benjamin
Titel	A Cost-Minimizing Approach to Eliminating the Primary Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions at Institutions of Higher Education
Quelle	In: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 23 (2022) 3, S.604-621 (18 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1467-6370
DOI	10.1108/IJSHE-02-2021-0048
Schlagwörter	Cost Effectiveness; Higher Education; Energy Conservation; Climate; Conservation (Environment); Fuels; Benchmarking; Costs; Guidance; Strategic Planning; Universities + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse; Kosten-Nutzen-Denken; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Energieerhaltung; Energiespeicherung; Klima; Conservation; Environment; Konservierung; Bewahung; Umwelt; Treibstoff; Cost; Kosten; Beratung; Strategy; Planning; Strategie; Planung; University; Universität
Abstract	Purpose: Many institutions of higher education have committed to carbon neutrality. Given this goal, the main economic issue is minimizing cost. As for society as a whole, dominant decarbonization strategies are renewable electricity generation, electrification of end uses and energy efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to describe the optimum combination of strategies. Design/methodology/approach: There are four questions for eliminating the primary institutional greenhouse gas emissions: how much renewable electricity to produce on-site; where and at what price to purchase the balance of renewable electricity required; how to heat and cool buildings without fossil fuels; and how much to invest in energy efficiency. A method is presented to minimize decarbonization costs by equating marginal costs of the alternates. Findings: The estimated cost of grid-purchased carbon-free energy is the most important benchmark, determining both the optimal level of campus-produced renewable energy and the optimum efficiency investment. In the context of complete decarbonization, greater efficiency investments may be justified than when individual measures are judged only by fossil-fuel savings. Practical implications: This paper discusses a theoretically ideal plan and implementation issues such as purchasing carbon-free electricity, calculating marginal costs of conserved energy, nonmarginal cost changes, uncertainty about achieving efficiency targets, and dynamic pricing. The principles described in this study can be used to craft a cost-minimizing decarbonization strategy. Originality/value: While previous studies discuss decarbonization strategies, there is little economic guidance on which strategies are optimal, on how to combine strategies to minimize cost or how to identify a preferred path to decarbonization. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2022/4/11