Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Estimation Of Useful-Stage Energy Returns On Investment For Fossil Fuels And Implications For Renewable Energy Systems, Emmanuel Aramendia, Paul E. Brockway, Peter G. Taylor, Jonathan B. Norman, Matthew K. Heun, Zeke Marshal;

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

The net energy implications of the energy transition have so far been analysed at best at the final energy stage. Here we argue that expanding the analysis to the useful stage is crucial. We estimate fossil fuelsʼ useful-stage energy returns on investment (EROIs) over the period 1971–2020, globally and nationally, and disaggregate EROIs by end use. We find that fossil fuelsʼ useful-stage EROIs (~3.5:1) are considerably lower than at the final stage (~8.5:1), due to low final-to-useful efficiencies. Further, we estimate the final-stage EROI for which electricity-yielding renewable energy would deliver the same net useful energy as fossil fuels (EROI …

2023 Fall Engr333 Section B Final Report, Ally Gauss, Stuart Johnston, Zachary Rozendal, Nora Terbeek, Samantha Bush, Daniel Cordeiro, David Harris, Nathan Zylstra, Mikayla Bindon, David Schmurr, Zachary Swart, Micah Vandeburg, David Conhoff, Mitchell Cook, Yonggi Kim, Mark Schultz

ENGR 333

Calvin University is currently committed to being carbon neutral by 2057. However, by 2057 the earth will see irreversible damage due to global warming. Because of the constant rise in global carbon emissions, President Boer tasked the students of ENGR-333 to find an earlier date for Calvin to become carbon neutral. Carbon net neutrality involves eliminating the emissions associated with heating and electricity. To have the most immediate impact, it was desired to reduce the most carbon as fast as was cost effective. Starting immediately, Calvin would start buying carbon free electricity from Consumer’s Energy, continuing until 2040 when Consumer’s …

2023 Fall Engr333 Section A Final Report, Owen Kalsbeek, Panashe Makuvaro, Luke Penning, Caleb Gaffner, David Visser, Jared Skaggs, Stephen Langerak, Kyle Borror, Caleb Clark, Michael Lanning, Brayden Raches, Sam Mennega, Seth Devries, Kyle Vandusen, Hayden White

ENGR 333

On 6 December 2017, then-president Michael Le Roy signed the President’s Climate Commitment, which committed Calvin University to carbon neutrality by 2057. Within a global scope, humanity has already emitted approximately 83% of its carbon allowance before causing global warming of 1.5°C. The Paris Climate Accords stated this temperature increase as the point at which humanity’s damage to the planet becomes irreversible. Given this, the year 2057 seemed like a dangerously late date for Calvin to achieve carbon neutrality. These concerns led President Boer to task the students of Engineering 333 with the following question: what earlier year should Calvin …

2023 Fall Engr333 Seminar Presentation File, Michael Lanning, Panashe Makuvaro, David Harris, Stuart Johnston

ENGR 333

File for student presentation on Carbon Neutrality for Calvin University, given by students in the Fall 2023 class of ENGR333.

2023 Fall Engr333 Section B Poster, Ally Gauss, Stuart Johnston, Zachary Rozendal, Nora Terbeek, Samantha Bush, Daniel Cordeiro, David Harris, Nathan Zylstra, Mikayla Bindon, David Schmurr, Zachary Swart, Micah Vandeburg, David Conhoff, Mitchell Cook, Yonggi Kim, Mark Schultz

ENGR 333

Poster of Section B of ENGR-333 Fall 2023.

2023 Fall Engr333 Section A Poster, Owen Kalsbeek, Panashe Makuvaro, Luke Penning, Caleb Gaffner, David Visser, Jared Skaggs, Stephen Langerak, Kyle Borror, Caleb Clark, Michael Lanning, Brayden Raches, Sam Mennega, Seth Devries, Kyle Vandusen, Hayden White

ENGR 333

Poster of Section A of ENGR-333 Fall 2023.

2023 Fall Engr 333 Project Assignment: Calvin Carbon Neutrality Date Project, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

Description

The Fall 2023 ENGR333 project focused on the carbon neutrality date for Calvin University. In 2017, then-president Michael LeRoy committed Calvin to carbon neutrality by 2057, which seems rather too far into the future from the perspective of 2023. I asked the students “What earlier year should Calvin University choose for its carbon neutrality date?”

Customer

The customer for this project was Dr. Wiebe Boer, President of Calvin University.

2022 Fall Engr333 Project Section A Final Report, Dat Cao, Sam Hoover, Sawyer Masselink, Ian Vanderkooi, Matthew Carlson, Jacob Heeres, Anthony Nykamp, Jacob Wyngarden, Nate Anderson, Anna Giboney, Gia Mien Le, Jonathan Washburn, Jess Camp, Aubree Peters, Alin Stoica, Drew Stoneburner, Claire Sheppard, Alayna Spiering, Reid Veneman, James Viel

ENGR 333

Calvin University has committed to being carbon neutral by 2057. This entails removing all the natural gas consumption for heating, converting to electrical heating options, and then making carbon free electricity. This project looked into four different options: air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, renewable natural gas, and the efficiency of current equipment. Each option was examined throughout the course of the semester to determine feasibility of each solution, and which ones would be best to implement. As a class, section A decided ground source heat pumps along with thermostatic valves and the implementation of double pane windows …

2022 Fall Engr333 Poster, Section B, Nicholas Paternoster, Nick Grossman, Jared Ruba, Zac Runhaar, Caleb Styf, Anne Ghata, Micah Lee, Thomas Noble, Liam Austin, Kai Barboza, Mark Bekhet, Jordan Tuter, Jacob Tanis, Sara Vansolkema, Aidan Bakker, Ben Casey, Sarah Maccarthy, Elise Miera, Christine Vanoyen

ENGR 333

• “What would it take to eliminate Calvin's natural gas-related net CO2 emissions?”
• Former Calvin President Michael Le Roy signed the President’s Climate Commitment on Dec 6, 2017
• Pledged carbon neutrality by 2057
• Results so far have been mixed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but gains have come from: Improved lighting efficiency, Reduced enrollment, Renewable electricity is already being tackled through partnerships with companies like Sun FundED.

2022 Fall Engr333 Poster, Section A, Dat Cao, Izuchi Ebeku, Samuel Hoover, Sawyer Masselink, Ian Vanderkooi, Matthew Carlson, Jacob Heeres, Anthony Nykamp, Jacob Vanwyngarden, Nate Anderson, Anna Giboney, Gia Mien Le, Jonathan Washburn, Jess Camp, Ryan Macintyre, Aubree Peters, Alin Stoica, Drew Stoneburner, Claire Sheppard, Alayna Spiering, Reid Veneman, James Viel

ENGR 333

In 2017 President Michael K. Le Roy signed Second Nature’s President Climate Commitment. This commitment outlines that Calvin’s governing body will ensure Calvin University is a carbon neutral educational institution by 2057. In June of 2022, Calvin University’s presidential seat was passed from Dr. Michael K. Le Roy to Dr. Wiebe Boer. In his short time as the president of Calvin University, Dr. Boer has put many projects into motion to help Calvin achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2057. This past fall Dr. Boer tasked the ENGR 333 class with answering the following question: What would it …

2022 Fall Engr333 Project Section B Final Report, Nicholas Paternoster, Nick Grossman, Jared Ruba, Zac Runhaar, Caleb Styf, Anne Ghata, Micah Lee, Thomas Noble, Liam Austin, Kai Barboza, Mark Bekhet, Jordan Tuter, Jacob Tanis, Sara Vansolkema, Aidan Bakker, Ben Casey, Sarah Mccarthy, Elise Miera, Christine Vanoyen

ENGR 333

Sustainability is a multi-faceted grand challenge. One of today’s largest challenges is related to sustainability: CO2 emissions from energy consumption. Calvin University purchases natural gas for the energy services it provides; however, it is a major contributor to the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. The ENGR 333 section B class was tasked with the question: What would it take to eliminate Calvin’s natural gas-related net CO2 emissions? After many hours of research and calculations, the ENGR 333 section B class answered this question with recommendations such as implementing ground source heat pumps, console heat pumps, air source heat …

2022 Fall Engr333 Seminar Presentation, Jordan Tuter, Aidan Bakker, Samuel Hoover, Jessica Camp

ENGR 333

File for student presentation on Carbon Neutrality for Calvin University, given by students in the Fall 2022 class of ENGR333.

2022 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2022 ENGR333 project focused on sustainable heating for Calvin University.

I asked the students “What would it take to eliminate Calvin’s natural gas-related net CO2 emissions?”

Matt Kucinski (Calvin PR) wrote a story about the project. President Boer wrote a complementary post about the students’ work on LinkedIn.

Customer

The customer for this project was Dr. Wiebe Boer, President of Calvin University.

Green Infrastructure In Parking Lot Retrofits, Delaney Sall, Julie Wildschut

Student Papers and Reports

The built environment poses significant risks to surrounding ecosystems. Impervious surfaces like roofs, roads, and parking lots do not allow rainwater to gradually filter into the soil. Instead, runoff often flows directly into storm drains and waterways —causing flooding, erosion and pollution.

One way to mitigate these negative impacts is the installation of Green Infrastructure (GI), a variety of practices designed to infiltrate runoff into the soil, filter out pollutants, and provide habitat for native species.

Because of the way urban areas developed, most commercial parking lots lack GI. If a property owner wants to use their space to …

2021 Fall Engr333 Project Section B Final Report, Calvin University 2021 Engr333 Section B

ENGR 333

In 2020, residences used 16.5% of all final energy in the United States, and residences were responsible for 19.3% of all U.S. CO2 emissions. Calvin ENGR 333 students partnered with Habitat for Humanity to tackle the issue of carbon emissions when designing their homes. Habitat for Humanity for Kent County is endeavoring to design homes that reduce energy consumption, energy expenditures, and carbon emissions. They are embarking upon a “carbon footprint build” that will minimize energy consumption and carbon emissions, both during construction and across the lifetime of their new Habitat for Humanity homes. This semester, the senior mechanical engineering …

2021 Fall Engr333 Project Section A Final Report, Gerald Darkey, Jonathan Jansma, Chris Singh, Ryan Whitney, Adam Brunsting, Adam Tjoelker, Jack Van Der Molen, Cornelius Van Liere, Derrick Bittner, William Terpstra, Matthew Winkle, Kelsey Yen, Kasen Anderson, Jack Cahalane, Samantha Krupa, James Kulaga, Chukwudubem Nweke, Nathan Holwerda, Jacob Meulink, John Stehouwer, Isaac Spackman, Moses Yang

ENGR 333

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) requested a carbon footprint analysis of their most recent home build. Mark Ogland-Hand, a representative of HFH, connected with Professor Heun’s ENGR 333 students to perform the carbon footprint analysis on their new low carbon house. Assuming Consumer’s Energy will incorporate their predicted percentage of renewables into their electric grid, the London home reduces projected carbon emissions by 18% when compared to a “To Code” house over a 25 year lifespan. For the current Consumer’s Energy grid, the “Improved” London house is shown to reduce projected carbon emissions by 30% when compared to the current London …

2021 Fall Engr333 Poster, Section B, Calvin University 2021 Engr Section B

ENGR 333

In 2020, residences used 21% of all final energy in the United States and were responsible for 20% of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions (henceforth referred to as carbon emissions). Habitat for Humanity for Kent County is endeavoring to design homes that reduce energy consumption, energy expenditures, and carbon emissions. They have established a goal of a “low carbon footprint build” that will minimize energy consumption and carbon emissions, both during construction and across the lifetime of the house. To accomplish this goal, Habitat for Humanity for Kent County partnered with Calvin’s ENGR 333 – Thermal System Design and asked …

2021 Fall Engr333 Poster, Section A, Gerald Darkey, Jonathan Jansma, Chris Singh, Ryan Whitney, Adam Brunsting, Adam Tjoelker, Jack Van Der Molen, Cornelius Van Liere, Derrick Bittner, William Terpstra, Matthew Winkle, Kelsey Yen, Kasen Anderson, Jack Cahalane, Samantha Krupa, James Kulaga, Chukwudubem Nweke, Nathan Holwerda, Jacob Meulink, John Stehouwer, Isaac Spackman, Moses Yang

ENGR 333

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) built a low-carbon home at 726 London Street SW. Mark Ogland-hand, a representative of HFH, connected with Professor Matthew Heun to begin a carbon study of this new home with the goals of understanding the carbon footprints of a traditional HFH home, the London home, and future improvements feasible for HFH to make in reducing the carbon emissions of their houses.

2021 Fall Engr333 Seminar Presentation, Anika Huizinga, John Stehouwer, William Terpstra, Duncan Waanders

ENGR 333

File for student presentation, given by students in the Fall 2021 class of ENGR333.

2021 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2021 ENGR333 project focused on the sustainable housing and featured a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Kent County.

I asked the students “What is the expected carbon emissions savings of the [Habitat for Humanity] carbon footprint build house?” And “If the carbon footprint build house is not carbon-neutral, you must answer a second question: How can carbon emissions be reduced by a further 20%?”

Calvin’s PR office followed the students’ work throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, the project was featured on Calvin’s News and Stories site with an article by Matt Kucinski …

2018 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report (Section A), 2018 Fall Engr333 Section A

ENGR 333

Calvin College currently spends 2.35 million dollars on energy every year. Physical Plant is under pressure to reduce the amount of energy that Calvin purchases from the electrical grid since the college is facing many budget constraints. In addition, President Le Roy signed the President’s Carbon Commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2057. With this need to save money on energy and reduce the college’s carbon footprint, the objective of this project was to determine the largest possible reduction in Calvin’s annual energy costs given a five-million-dollar investment in renewable energy.

2018 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report (Section B), Alexander Cooper, Katie Diekema, Grace Fasipe, Daniella Sugijanto, Alec Dejonge, Timothy Dykhuis, Breanna Kooiman, Samuel Olson, Brennan Boice, Tyler Gustman, Daniel Norton, Christopher Vanwhye, Robert Capozzoli, Jared Minderhoud, Clark Richeson, Nathan Schuyten

ENGR 333

What is the largest possible reduction in Calvin College’s annual energy costs from a $5M initial investment in renewable energy? Renewable energy systems are essential for Calvin College to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality to meet the Carbon Commitment that President Le Roy signed in December 2017. Also, a significant cost reduction could be a positive result of transitioning to renewable energy sources such as geothermal, wind, solar, and biomass. Four renewable energy sources were studied throughout the semester to determine a feasible renewable energy plan for Calvin with a $5M investment.

2018 Fall Engr333 Poster, Alexander Cooper, Katie Diekema, Grace Fasipe, Daniella Sugijanto, Alec Dejonge, Timothy Dykhuis, Breanna Kooiman, Samuel Olson, Brennan Boice, Tyler Gustman, Daniel Norton, Christopher Vanwhye, Robert Capozzoli, Jared Minderhoud, Clark Richeson, Nathan Schuyten, 2018 Fall Engr333 Section A

ENGR 333

• $158k initial investment in Geothermal systems for various Calvin-owned residential buildings
• $3.34M initial investment in solar panels for Calvin’s rooftops
• The overall savings would be $233,850 per year
• Emissions would be reduced by 864 tons of CO2 emissions per year
• The recommended investment would be fully paid back in 11-15 years

2018 Fall Engr333 Seminar Presentation, Rachel Evans, Alex Gross, Daniella Sugijanto, Jake Shaarda

ENGR 333

File for student presentation, given by students in the Fall 2018 class of ENGR333.

2018 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2018 ENGR333 project focused on renewable energy generation.

I asked the students “What is the largest possible reduction in Calvin’s annual energy costs from a $5M investment in renewable energy?”

Customer

The customer for this project was Russell Bray, Director of Calvin’s Physical Plant.

2017 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report (Section A), Trevor Nyeholt, Francis Kapesa, Justin Thalmayer, Erik Karlson, Kyle Van Veen, Kirk Brink, Steven Tarske, Brent Homan, Nathan De Haan, Paul Bootsma, Megan Anders, Philip Holmes, Melanie Fox, Noah Pirrotta, Abigail Berkompas, Ben Wellman, Halley Press, Christopher Greaves, Josh Templeman, Tim Bosch, Jake Zandstra, Hendrik Vermeulen

ENGR 333

Calvin College currently spends $836,000 annually on natural gas consumption. The engineering 333-A class was tasked with the question, "What would it take for Calvin College to save $75,000 per year on natural gas costs". The class was split into five groups (Boilers, Dorms and Dining Hall, Academic Buildings, Finance, and PE Complex) to research possible areas of savings. Through the class' research, it was determined that Calvin College has the potential savings of $87,000 a year through the reduction of natural gas usage.

2017 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report (Section B), Eric Ball, Mitchell Debruin, Raymond Kolocek, Edwin Kpodzro, Jacob Vandekieft, Nate Anderson, Brennan Steenhoek, Darbi Meyer, Derek Vermerris, Jessica Bouma, Devon Loerop, Reuben Saarloos, Richmond Amoh, Matthew Boelens, Tyson Butler, Laura Van Winkle, Alex Keizer, Kwame Ohemeng, Cameron Richman, Julie Van De Riet

ENGR 333

Currently, Calvin College spends $2.8M on electricity and natural gas. In the recent past Calvin has alleviated some of these costs by running a cogeneration system that combusts fuel and produces electricity and heat, this old system has since been removed due to age. With the old system removed Calvin is fully reliant on grid, leading to increased electricity cost. In addition to saving Calvin money, President Leroy formally signed the President’s Carbon Commitment that announced Calvin’s intent to be Carbon neutral by 2057. To meet both the cost and emissions saving needs, the objective of the energy savings project …

2017 Fall Engr333 Seminar Preservation, Trevor Nyeholt, Erik Karlson, Cam Richman, Tyson Butler

ENGR 333

File for student presentation, given by students in the Fall 2017 class of ENGR333.

2017 Fall Engr333 Poster (Section B), Eric Ball, Mitchell Debruin, Raymond Kolocek, Edwin Kpodzro, Jacob Vandekieft, Nate Anderson, Brennan Steenhoek, Darbi Meyer, Derek Vermerris, Jessica Bouma, Devon Loerop, Reuben Saarloos, Richard Amoh, Matthew Boelens, Tyson Butler, Laura Van Winkle, Alex Keizer, Kwame Ohemeng, Cameron Richman, Julie Van De Riet

ENGR 333

Previously, Calvin College had a cogeneration system with the purpose of generating electricity and heat, through the combustion of natural gas, for Calvin’s campus. The original co-gen system was removed in 2017 due to high costs associated with maintenance and operations. Without a co-gen system, Calvin College is fully dependent on the grid. To save money and help in the President’s Carbon Commitment, PCC, the mechanical engineering students of ENGR 333 (section B) propose the implementation of a new co-gen system.

2017 Fall Engr333 Poster (Section A), Trevor Nyeholt, Francis Kapesa, Justin Thalmayer, Erik Karlson, Kyle Van Veen, Kirk Brink, Steven Tarske, Brent Homan, Nathan De Haan, Paul Bootsma, Megan Anders, Philip Holmes, Melanie Fox, Noah Pirrotta, Abigail Berkompas, Ben Wellman, Halley Press, Christopher Greaves, Josh Templeman, Tim Bosch, Jake Zandstra, Hendrik Vermeulen

ENGR 333

Calvin College uses 161,000 MMBTU of natural gas per year, which correlates to $836,000 of annual expenses. However Calvin could save as much as $240,000 on natural gas if they were as efficient as the top performer in an energy audit of similar colleges and universities in the Midwest, conducted by Sightlines Institute. The goal of this project was to see what actions could be taken to save the college $75,000 in annual natural gas costs.