Pitt Joins U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership

In February 2019, the University of Pittsburgh joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Green Power Partnership. The program aims to increase the use of green power among organizations in the United States as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use.

For fiscal year 2019, 15% of Pitt’s electricity comes from renewables. The University’s green power usage is equal to the electric power used by approximately 3,000 typical American homes.  In accord with the goals of the 2018 Pitt Sustainability Plan, the University aims to produce or procure 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

As we look to the future, Pitt is already committed to purchasing 100% of the hydropower produced by a hydroelectric plant to be built on the Allegheny River at the existing Allegheny Lock and Dam No. 2, just below the Highland Park Bridge. This is the University’s largest-ever commitment to renewable power. Expected to be in operation in 2022, the low-impact hydropower facility will generate enough electricity to supply 25% of the Pittsburgh campus’s electricity needs.