Greener Energy: The Case for Wind Power at SJU and CSB

Current Energy Use at SJU and CSB

Presently, St. John's University produces about 25% of its electricity and purchases the rest from Northern States Power (NSP). SJU burns coal, wood, paper, natural gas, #6 fuel oil, and campus waste at its incinerator and power plant on campus and cogenerates heat and electricity. It should be noted that SJU cannot use electricity from NSP or from a wind turbine to heat its buildings. Wind-generated electricity would likely displace NSP-purchased power.

SJU pays about 3.7 to 4.0 cents per kWh for the electricity that it purchases from NSP (inclusive of charges). SJU is limited in the summer months (June through August) to 700 kWhs per day of electricity that it can purchase from NSP. This is not a problem for SJU because it can increase the amount of kWhs that it produces at its cogeneration plant. Production and purchase numbers are in Table 3 and Chart 3 in Appendix C.

CSB purchases gas to run the boilers that generate steam for heat. CSB also has a diesel generator that can be used when needed (during peak demand) so that CSB does not need to purchase more than its maximum allowable amount (1450 kWh per day) in the months of June, July, and August. CSB's price per kWh is about 4.3 cents per kWh. Energy purchase and production numbers are shown in Table 4 and Chart 4 in Appendix D.

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