Apr 22 2010
The Environmental Protection Agency has indicated that the Pennsylvania State University ranks number three in the U.S. among universities and colleges when it comes to using large amounts of green power.
In general, renewable energy sources include wind and solar energy. Certain types of renewable energy technologies can cause harm to the environment, including large hydroelectric resources that conflict with land usage.
However, green power sources do not raise any environmental concerns and do not produce greenhouse gases. The EPA classifies resources such as geothermal, biogas, small hydroelectric sources, biomass, solar and wind as green power sources.
Currently, the university purchases around 84 million kWh of green power from Community Energy, Sterling Planet and 3Degrees. Around 20% of the electricity consumed by the university is generated by wind, biomass and small hydroelectric sources.