The T.B. Simon Power Plant, in conjunction with Michigan State University, is constantly looking to the future and setting goals that coincide with the University's mission to Be Spartan Green. Below are some goals and solutions that the power plant is working toward achieving and implementing.

How are we currently reducing MSU's environmental footprint?

Currently, MSU is taking several steps to reduce the impact that the University has on the environment. Several reduction efforts are featured in the following areas:

• At this time, MSU has a number of renewable energy areas on campus.
• The Be Spartan Green website features numerous videos that depict many ways the University is supporting environmental stewardship.
• The University follows strict construction guidelines so that all of its projects are as environmentally friendly as possible.
• The Be Spartan Green website also contains numerous interactive games that help explain different green efforts in which the University is engaged.
• The University is also doing its part to reduce the energy use of campus lighting (PDF).

• Michigan State University has developed energy conservation and optimization measures to minimize energy use and maximize cost savings. For a complete list of all the measures, click here.

  
   

For more information on Michigan State University’s environmental stewardship efforts, please visit the Be Spartan Green website and the MSU Sustainability website.

What is the long-range energy plan for MSU?

As part of the Boldness by Design environmental stewardship initiative, a recommendation was made to review next-generation energy technologies and begin to consider what the power plant of the future would look like.

As a result, an Energy Advisory Committee, consisting of faculty, staff, and students, worked with consultant Black and Veatch to compile an analysis (PDF) of next-generation energy technologies for MSU’s main campus. The study included investigating new “best-of-breed” technologies including renewable energy, carbon sequestration, distributed generation, and a reliability and life-cycle cost analysis to determine optimal power configuration and technology for each scenario.

The committee believed that the University should:

• Continue to meet its goal of reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions on campus by 15 percent by 2015, and;
• Set more aggressive energy goals for the future.

The committee created a set of planning assumptions, and potential goals and strategies that will serve as the blueprint for a larger University planning process. For more information about Michigan State University's Energy Transition Plan, click here.

Energy Transition Plan

In 2011, MSU formed an Energy Transition Steering Committee composed of a diverse group of people from the campus community to help determine the future of MSU's fuel. The commitee developed an Energy Transition Plan that was approved by the Board of Trustees in April 2012.