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EPA Names University of Iowa as a Top 20 Organization Running on its Own Green Power

Release Date: 07/27/2009
Contact Information: EPA Region 7 - David Bryan, 913-551-7433, bryan.david@epa.gov; University of Iowa - Steve Pradarelli, Asst. Dir. of University Relations, 319-384-0007, stephen-pradarelli@uiowa.edu

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Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., July 27, 2009) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the University of Iowa as a top 20 partner in its Green Power Partnership program. In an effort to generate more green electricity on site, the university has implemented the use of biomass fuels, the reduction of carbon emissions and the exploration of new energy sources.

"EPA commends our leading partners for their continued commitment to protecting the environment by using green power," said Kathleen Hogan, Director of the Climate Protection Partnerships Division at EPA. "By supporting green power, the University of Iowa is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, supporting clean energy technologies and contributing to a clean energy future."

Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas and low-impact hydropower. Green power electricity generates less pollution than conventional power and produces no net increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

“The University of Iowa is preparing the next generation of thinkers, innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Liz Christiansen, the director of the University of Iowa’s Office of Sustainability. “We are focusing on our strong research and educational components; and the commitment by our operational departments to integrate sustainability in what we aim to do and how we accomplish our goals.”

The University of Iowa pioneered the use of oat hulls in its boiler. Since 2003, the university has been partnering with the nearby Quaker Oats Cedar Rapids Plant to use oat hulls as an environmentally friendly fuel source. The energy produced from oat hull combustion replaces energy that would have been generated by burning coal. The oat hulls are biomass and do not result in new carbon dioxide emissions.

The University of Iowa Power Plant is a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) facility. CHP is an efficient, clean and reliable approach to generating power and thermal energy from a single fuel source. CHP systems achieve typical effective electric efficiencies of 50 percent to 70 percent and reduce the output of traditional air pollutants and carbon dioxide.

More information on top 20 on-site users of green power: www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top20onsite.htm

More information on EPA’s Green Power Partnership: www.epa.gov/greenpower