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MSU's Energy Transition Plan
As one of the world’s top research universities and one of the nation’s top sustainable campuses, Michigan State University is committed to transitioning to cleaner, more renewable energy sources.
The Energy Transition Plan defines MSU’s goals toward a sustainable energy future. The MSU Energy Transition Steering Committee recommends that the university adopt a vision of moving toward 100% renewable energy. To achieve this vision, energy supply and demand must be addressed, new knowledge created, and partnerships strengthened. The following plan outlines the steps needed to move toward the vision while balancing capacity, health, reliability, environment, and cost. The key interrelated goals are to:
- Improve the physical environment.
- Invest in sustainable energy research and development.
- Become an educational leader in sustainable energy.
The committee was asked to develop a set of goals and recommend broad strategies to move MSU toward a long term vision. Similar to the Campus Master Plan, the Energy Transition plan does not recommend specific operational decisions, but provides a general framework for the university to make operational decisions. This allows the campus to be flexible in its decisions while moving toward the overall vision.
In developing this Energy Transition Plan, the steering committee considered all strategies available and used the Energy Strategies Model to plug in strategies for developing goals that are both achievable and aggressive, and will move MSU toward its vision.
The five-year review process for the Energy Transition Plan will include a validation or revision of the goals so that MSU makes continuous progress toward the long-term vision. If MSU can set more aggressive goals, it will do so.
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Contact Information
If you have questions or comments about MSU's Energy Transition Plan, please contact begreen@msu.edu.