NJIT enters partnership to source electricity from renewable sources

NEWARK, NJ — New Jersey Institute of Technology and a subsidiary of ENGIE North America said recently that the university will purchase renewable energy from a portfolio of hydropower facilities equal to nearly 100 percent of its forecasted electricity consumption. This agreement achieves one of the strongest commitments for renewable power procurement in a retail energy purchase, according to a press release from NJIT.

“NJIT’s commitment to sustainability is a main pillar of our strategic plan,” said Andrew P. Christ, senior vice president of real estate development and capital operations. “Through the procurement of energy from sustainable resources, the university will reduce its carbon footprint as part of its orientation to integrate sustainability into our community’s daily life.” 

ENGIE Resources and Premier Energy Group jointly designed a unique solution that will help NJIT achieve its pursuit of and progress toward making sustainability an institutional learning goal embedded throughout the campus experience and academic curriculum.

For 2022, NJIT shall purchase an approximately 43,800–megawatt-hour supply of renewable, clean generation from the Smoky Mountain Hydropower portfolio located along the North Carolina–Tennessee border. The hydropower portfolio is owned and operated by New York–based Brookfield Renewable U.S.

The agreement includes the purchase of an equivalent number of Renewable Energy Certificates from the Smoky Mountain Hydropower portfolio. By investing in RECs, NJIT is increasing demand for renewable energy, encouraging the development of new renewable energy projects and providing generator owners with additional revenue that goes beyond selling the facility’s electricity.

The renewable energy in this agreement avoids more than 31,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions over the span of the contract, which represents the equivalent carbon capture of more than 38,000 acres of forest, according to the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

The renewable energy deal is part of a larger sustainability campaign at NJIT that reduces energy and mitigates waste through efforts such as a future expansion of on-campus renewable energy generation via the installation of a 500-kW solar panel field at the Wellness and Events Center and a universitywide food composting program.

“Hydropower is clean and affordable. It’s the world’s largest source of renewable electricity generation, and the only energy source that creates recreational opportunities,” said Sayun Sukduang, chief executive officer at ENGIE Resources. “NJIT is a perfect partner to help promote sustainability through the next generation of leaders.”

The Smoky Mountain Hydropower portfolio consists of four hydropower facilities located along the Little Tennessee and Cheoah rivers in Tennessee and North Carolina, with a total installed capacity of 375 megawatts. The facilities are certified by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute in recognition of the suite of stringent science-based environmental protection standards and social and cultural criteria that the generators meet.

  Environmental Protection Agency, NJIT