MENV Students Win at Two Competitions

Liz Holland — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:17:09 +0000

MENV Students Win at Two Competitions Liz Holland Tue, 04/29/2025 - 14:17

Over the last several weeks, MENV students won several competitions in the environmental and sustainability space.

To start, MENV students Kasrah Eslami, Colin McDonald, Brooke Miller, Erin Spencer (Team Captain), and Nolan Welsh competed in the US Department of Energy’s Geothermal Collegiate Competition and took home first prize!

“The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Geothermal Collegiate Competition (GCC) invites teams from collegiate institutions to develop real-world geothermal solutions while competing for cash prizes and gaining resume experience in the renewable energy industry. Students of all majors, minors, and career paths are encouraged to participate. Competing in the GCC provides an introduction to the renewable energy field, opportunities to engage with industry professionals as well as local communities, and a deeper understanding of how geothermal energy can provide efficient, reliable energy solutions to communities. “

This was our students’ second year competing and we came out on top in a competition with dozens of teams from across the country. The team produced an excellent proposal for a single-building geothermal system proof-of-concept in Louisville, Kentucky, with a second-phase district geothermal system. This included assessing permitting requirements, tax benefits, cost-benefit analysis and carbon reduction, community outreach and stakeholder engagement, and the team worked with the City of Louisville and provided their materials to the city for its use.

Judges from the competition remarked that “This is the most comprehensive assessment of a district scale geothermal heating and cooling project [in the competition]. The sources and bibliography bear testimony to the level of research and effort the team has undertaken in evaluating their project. Excellent work. The presentation video is top quality with a conclusion that brings the assessment together justifying it from all the studied angles.”

Later in the week, MENV students Jazlyn Nie, Sasha Skibitskaya, and Cayden Parris competed in the 32nd Annual Campus Sustainability Summit and won the “Climate Impact” category with their community-powered furniture rental marketplace, Loop!

Loop was created in an effort to reduce furniture waste. "In the U.S., 90% of rental apartments come unfurnished, forcing renters to repeatedly purchase and discard furniture, causing tons of usable furniture to end up in landfills. Meanwhile, local furniture owners spend billions on storage. This is why we are creating Loop, a marketplace that connects people who need furniture with those who have extra. Renters access quality, affordable furniture, owners earn passive income, and together, we build a circular economy that benefits the planet."

We are so proud of these teams and the incredible work they’ve put forth!

MENV students win first place at the Department of Energy's Geothermal Collegiate Competition and at the University of Colorado Boulder's Campus Sustainability Summit!

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MENV Alumni Publish Informative NREL Report

Anonymous — Sat, 21 Sep 2019 19:20:07 +0000

MENV Alumni Publish Informative NREL Report Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 09/21/2019 - 13:20

NREL

Anna Kaelin and Jeremy Stefek, from the very first MENV cohort, have worked hard over the past three years studying the economic impacts of the Rush Creek Wind Farm. This research originally stemmed from Anna and Jeremy’s capstone with NREL. Along with their colleagues, Suzanne Tegen, Owen Roberts, and David Keyser, their work was published this past week. The article about their work, written by NREL, has been posted and linked below:

Colorado Case Study Demonstrates In-State and Rural Economic Impacts from Wind Manufacturing and Plant Construction

Sept. 16, 2019

In-state wind turbine manufacturing and installation support both short-term and long-term jobs and account for other economic impacts, according to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) case study of Xcel Energy’s 600-MW Rush Creek Wind Farm—Colorado's largest wind energy project. NREL researchers who conducted the study also gained a deeper understanding of how wind plant construction impacts the economies of rural communities, where wind plant construction often occurs.

The recently published report, Economic Impacts from Wind Energy in Colorado—Case Study: Rush Creek Wind FarmPDF, provides the results of quantitative and qualitative analyses. By using modeled and empirical data, the NREL team developed an informative picture of the economic impacts of wind energy development in rural Colorado—results that could apply to other states as well.

Highlighting the importance of domestic manufacturing, the study focused on the economic impact of jobs, earnings, gross domestic product (GDP), and gross economic output during the relatively short construction phase and the longer-term operation and maintenance phase.

“Rush Creek is unique because its 300 2-megawatt (MW) wind turbines were all manufactured in Colorado facilities,” said Jeremy Stefek, NREL researcher and lead author of the report. “This gave us the opportunity to study the jobs and economic activity supported by wind energy’s manufacturing and supply chain in Colorado.”

The Rush Creek Wind Farm spans four rural counties on the Colorado's eastern plains (see Figure 1). Installing wind turbines manufactured in the same state increased the farm’s economic impacts to Colorado. Using an in-state manufacturer also decreased transportation time and costs, as wind turbine components were delivered to the installation site by truck rather than rail. Wind turbine components, such as the blades, towers, and nacelles, were manufactured and assembled in Colorado using several in-state suppliers for subcomponents. Some parts and materials, however, were sourced from out of state. For example, nacelles were assembled in Colorado, but the subcomponents within the nacelles (such as generators and electronics) were manufactured elsewhere.

Figure 1. The four-county area of the Rush Creek Wind Farm in relation to Colorado manufacturing facilities for MHI Vestas.

Quantitatively, NREL’s Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) Wind Energy Model was used to estimate the gross economic impacts from the Rush Creek Wind Farm. JEDI models are user-friendly screening tools that estimate some of the economic impacts of energy projects.

Using empirical data, modeled data, and market research, NREL researchers created a set of assumptions to represent the economic scenario for the Rush Creek Wind Farm. Based on the analysis, the Colorado statewide economic impacts from Rush Creek are shown in Figure 2. Another JEDI analysis estimates the economic impacts of Rush Creek in the area where the development is located.

Figure 2. Summary of statewide economic impacts from the 600-MW Rush Creek Wind Farm supported during the construction phase and operating years.

The JEDI analysis shows that it's not just the construction phase of a wind plant that creates economic impact. The Rush Creek Wind Farm will support 180 long-term jobs and $20 million in GDP in Colorado annually throughout the operation and maintenance phase of its anticipated 25-year lifespan. In addition, Rush Creek will provide an estimated $45 million in landowner lease payments and approximately $62.5 million in property taxes during the 25-year life of the project.

Qualitatively, researchers interviewed 39 community members near the Rush Creek Wind Farm to collect empirical economic data as well as first-hand knowledge of community-level impacts during wind farm construction. Interviewees included local business owners, managers, employees, county commissioners, and economic development office representatives. Providing insight into actual effects of the wind farm on the local people and economy, most interviewees stated that the Rush Creek Wind Farm is one of the reasons business had increased over the past year.

"Our research into economic development from wind energy in rural communities can inform other communities across America as they consider future wind development,” Stefek said. “The idea of engaging communities to understand the on-the-ground effects of wind development makes this research unique and offers a powerful message about wind energy’s economic impact.”

The empirical research found that:

67% of businesses experienced increases in revenue from the previous year—and 11% saw significant increases
28% of respondents hired new people in the previous year
56% of employees worked more hours than the previous year.

Although interviewees were overall supportive of wind development, many reported challenges from wind farm construction stemming from the influx of temporary workers to their communities, including:

Local housing shortages
Increased housing prices
Lack of infrastructure to house temporary workers
Inability for some local businesses to keep up with increased demand
A small pool of qualified local candidates from which to hire.

However, even in the face of these challenges, community members indicated that local businesses and business development organizations support wind construction.

By considering the results of this Colorado case study, rural communities can be better informed and prepared to maximize local economic benefits of future wind development and address the challenges as well

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