Energy

Global Renewables Infrastructure Development (GRID) is a registered student organization that works on designing, optimizing, installing, financing and assessing the societal impacts of renewable energy systems, with a specific focus on projects that advance equitable access to electricity. GRID has an interdisciplinary mix of graduate and undergraduate students with backgrounds in engineering, natural sciences, social sciences and more.

The Renewable Energy Scholarship Foundation is now soliciting applications for scholarships which will be awarded for the 2021-2022 school year.

This is a guest post from 10-year-old Sharda Shah, the daughter of Mauli Shah who works in UW Medicine’s IT Department. As they have been looking for projects at home, this Earth Month they found a solar cooker sitting unused in their shed and decided to try it out. Here are Sharda’s thoughts on using a solar cooker, and how it shows solar energy can be useful even at small scales.

For almost a decade, UW Solar has made impacts by generating power and energy all across campus. Since getting solar panels installed on the roof of Mercer Court in 2014, the group has grown and worked with campus partners to add solar to several West Campus residence halls and the new Life Sciences Building.

With no signs of slowing down, UW Solar is looking to carry out two major projects this year that will encourage the use of alternative energy at the university.

Residents of the new North campus dorms may not notice the many sustainability features of their buildings. If they take a closer look, they’ll find the residence halls are rich with hidden touches that save energy and make living easier. 

All residence halls on North Campus are LEED certified, meaning they were built with sustainability in mind. Students, though, might not be aware of some features that Housing & Food Services (HFS) implemented.

Since 2015 Seattle City Light has been providing rebates to departments purchasing ultra-low freezers that meet specific energy efficiency criteria. The list of approved brands and models has recently been expanded and if you are considering replacing an existing or purchasing a new ultra-low freezer, please consider purchasing one of these energy efficient models listed below.

 Civil & Environmental Engineering senior Alex Ratcliff has worked to increase solar power capacity at the University of Washington throughout his time as a student. Since joining the UW Solar student group as a freshman, Ratcliff has helped oversee new solar installations on the residence halls Maple, Alder and Elm, as well as working on solar installations for the new Life Sciences building.

It might be hard to believe, but summer is right around the corner! Before finals and summer plans kick in, check out the events below for a snippet of what's to come! The sustainability events calendar also includes all sustainability related events, and our calendar has a comprehensive listing of all events. You can even subscribe to get weekly emails to keep up to date on all the sustainability events happening around UW!

Civil and Environmental Engineering students got hands-on experience with energy conservation and renewable energy this winter.

A class taught by assistant professor Amy Kim used a small solar-power installation on More Hall to power everyday office equipment, such as a computer and table lamp. The course looks at developing sustainability strategies for buildings which promote the health and wellness of the occupants.

The words sustainability and business are not often heard together in the same sentence within the corporate sector.

As traditional business practices have typically prioritized profits over purpose and people, many people remain critical about a company's true intentions. Thankfully, slow and steady progress over the years have created an undercurrent of individuals, organizations, and business leaders who have repeatedly asked: how can businesses do good in the world?