JAKOB LUCAS, Sports Editor—
By now, anybody who lives on East quad knows that the parking lot behind the Mitchell Center is closed for construction. With there already being finite parking on East quad, many students were frustrated over the sudden decline in spots. Now that more first years are being housed on East quad there are now, on average, more parking spots per upperclassmen than last year despite the Mitchell lot closing.
What is being built there and causing this reduction in parking? A brand new steam power plant, the first on-campus plant in Denison history.
Denison’s continued divergence from reliance on fossil fuels is a major step forward, a process that began back in 2014. At that time, Denison halted all burning of coal and instead
began burning natural gas (Methane or CH4). While the process still emits greenhouse gases like carbon
dioxide (CO2), it does so to a significantly lesser extent.
With a goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, Denison is continuing to invest in cleaner sources of energy. Alongside the new steam power plant, Denison has continued investing in various types of renewable energy, such as solar power. The new steam power plant will continue Denison’s trend of decreasing CO2 emissions and help move Denison closer to carbon neutrality. Jeremy King, Denison’s Director of Sustainability and Campus Improvement, noted that Denison will continue to move to greener, more sustainable energy sources in the near future.
“As time goes on, we’ll be exploring alternatives to gas-fired steam.”
King also elaborated on the benefits of this new steam power plant, calling it “the first phase of a multiphase process to update and upgrade heating systems across campus.” Denison’s current heating plant, located down near IGA, is in major need of an upgrade. This new on-campus plant will minimize the risk of pipes freezing or leaking and losing heat.
King said that “the new steam plant brings with it an increase in efficiency of somewhere around 5-8%. This is primarily due to less heat being dissipated through the steam lines since it no longer has to travel ½ mile to campus. The new boilers are also more efficient than the old ones.”
The new power plant should also bring a lot of tangible benefits to the campus, especially to students. With a new steam power plant opening closer to residence halls, students likely won’t have to worry about a lack of hot water nor wait as long for it. The
general heating process in residence halls should also be better. Similar benefits should come to the Mitchell Center, given the new plant will be housed right next to it.
Simply put, since the steam won’t have to be pumped so far across
campus, things shouldn’t take as long to heat up. With the winter chill
settling over the hill, Denisonians should be excited about these upcoming benefits.
A new steam power plant will soon bring benefits to Denison’s
sustainability initiatives as well as Denisonian’s day-to-day life.
Hopefully these benefits come before winter ends.