They put on the hard hats – and earplugs – at the conclusion of the Dec. 3 meeting for a guided tour of the facility, which is the cornerstone of Stanford Energy System Innovations, the university's new cutting-edge energy supply system.
Before the guided tour, Bob Reidy, vice president of land, buildings and real estate, said that since the Central Energy Facility opened in April, greenhouse gas emissions have dropped to 137,000 metric tons, compared with the peak level of 228,000 in 2011.
"That's a 40 percent reduction," Reidy said. "When we get a full year of operation in 2016, we'll drop it down to 114,000. That's a 50 percent reduction from the peak."
Reidy said Stanford will continue to see a dramatic reduction in emissions – to 72,000 metric tons in 2017 – when the university turns on the large solar facility it is developing in the desert. He said that represented a 68 percent reduction from 2011 to 2017 – a tremendous accomplishment for a university.
"It only could happen at a place like Stanford," he said.
Joseph Stagner, executive director, sustainability and energy management, and Fahmida Ahmed, director of the Office of Sustainability, also spoke about the new energy system.
The senate postponed a presentation by Harry J. Elam Jr., vice provost for undergraduate education, until winter quarter.
The full minutes of the Dec. 3 senate meeting will be available soon on the Faculty Senate website. The minutes will include the Q&A sessions that followed the presentations.