PHILADELPHIA, Apr 19, 2006 -- Daily Pennsylvanian, U-WIRE

 

The University announced this month that is has tripled its purchase of wind energy, ensuring its status as the leading university purchaser of wind-generated power.

The new arrangement, which Penn finalized in January, means that Penn will obtain around 30 percent of its energy from wind power.

"Penn's purchase really has set a new standard in the higher education field," said Paul Copleman, spokesman for Community Energy Inc., the company from which the University purchases wind energy.

This most recent agreement to buy wind energy is the University's third, said Mike Coleman, director of operations and maintenance for Facilities and Real Estate Services. The contract lasts until 2011.

Copleman added the new agreement will enable the University to purchase wind energy from wind farms across the country, rather than just in Pennsylvania.

Copleman said wind energy is superior to other forms of energy because it is friendly to the environment -- it's not generated by burning fossil fuels and creates no polluting emissions. It is also reduces reliance on foreign energy sources.

Many students seem pleased with the recent purchasing increase.

Penn Environmental Group co-chair and College junior Nishi Shah said that political controversy over the use of fossil fuels for energy makes wind energy even more desirable.

Coleman added that wind energy is the best option for the University because it is a "very dynamic market."

In January, Penn was named the top university consumer of renewable energy in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency.

"We are light years ahead of the closest university to us," Coleman said. "If every university did what we did, the environment would be a much better place."

Because Penn is a school with a recognizable name, it "really sets the bar high" for other universities that may choose to follow its lead and purchase wind energy, Copleman, the energy company spokesman, said.

However, the decision to invest in wind energy is "not an easy business decision" due to the high cost of wind energy over other forms of energy, he added.

But Shah said that, though wind energy is initially very expensive, it pays off in the long run.

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