Green energy renewal confirmed
Success for those who protested for the renewal of the green energy contract
OXFORD UNIVERSITY has revealed it will renew its multi-million-pound green electricity contract – a decision which will provide a major boost to the international campaign for renewable energy. The university is Europe's eighth biggest purchaser of green electricity, and Monday's decision represents a remarkable turnaround from earlier suggestions that it would return to non-renewable ‘brown' electricity when the current contract expires at the end of next month.
Student representatives and environmental campaigners expressed their delight at the contract's renewal, which the university claims will raise its annual electricity bill to over £3m. University Registrar David Holmes said the decision was an important one and defended the institution's protracted consideration of the issue. “The university has been a champion of ‘green' electricity, and we are pleased we are able to continue to purchase our power from renewable sources.
“At a time of significant financial constraint within the university sector, it was only prudent to properly evaluate tenders from a range of possible suppliers, rather than simply commit to ‘green' electricity at any cost.” The University electricity supply is split into two, with one supply going to the science areas and other large buildings that require over 100kW of electricity, the other to the rest of the 120 university buildings.
The new contract commits the university to one year of green electricity for the former and two for the latter, representing an increase in Oxford's expenditure on electricity of almost 40 per cent of the current cost. But the university insists that a greater effort must now be made by students and staff alike to ensure that energy is not unnecessarily wasted.
“We are committed to making major savings in energy use by encouraging all students and staff to use energy responsibly,” a University spokeswoman told The Oxford Student. Student representatives have expressed their delight at the decision, which follows weeks of campaigning by students, incorporating motions passed through JCR meetings and OUSU Council, the circulation of petitions and a widely publicised protest outside the Oxford University Press offices last month.
Dan Simpson, who represents students on the university's governing body, told this newspaper: “We applaud the university's willingness to meet its environmental obligations. However, we also recognise that rising energy prices will place obligations on both staff and students to use energy efficiently if green electricity is to remain affordable.
Green party councillor and New College undergraduate, Matt Sellwood added his agreement: “The university has taken the right choice and their emphasis on the importance of energy efficiency is also very sensible. I will be urging the City Council to work with both the university authorities and OUSU Environment Committee to help deliver energy efficiency improvements in the next few years, and am very confident that we can build on this excellent news.
17th Feb 2005