Sep 26, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Fordham University Takes Innovative Step in Sustainability with Bloom Energy

This week, as New York City recognizes NYC Climate Week 2019, Fordham University and Bloom Energy announced a clean energy server installation for the William D. Walsh Family Library at Fordham University.

The 250-kilowatt installation will generate clean electricity on-site and provide that power directly to the five story, 240,000 square foot library.

The solid oxide fuel cell technology produces electricity without combustion using a highly efficient, electrochemical process, resulting in electricity that is cleaner than the local utility grid. By using the Servers, Fordham University will offset more than 300 metric tons of CO2 each year – the equivalent of leaving 328,000 pounds of coal in the ground, unburnt.

Emissions reductions and air quality improvements are especially important for a metropolitan-based university and the New York City area, which is ranked in the top 10 for high ozone days and top 30 for annual particle pollution among metropolitan areas, according to the American Lung Association. A recent study in JAMA found that if you live in a city with high ozone levels for a decade, the results are similar to smoking a pack of cigarettes every day for 30 years. Bloom Energy Servers generate virtually none of the smog-forming pollutants and particulate emissions that cause air pollution, asthma, and lung disease.

The Servers use almost no water as compared to power plants supplying the U.S. grid that withdraws 150 million more gallons of water per megawatt of electricity each year. With their use, Fordham will conserve 39 million gallons of water annually, aligned with New York City’s Water Challenge to Universities calling for a 5 percent reduction in water use.

Fordham University has taken a leadership role in sustainability with its Green Campus Initiatives. The campus is actively working to meet New York City’s Carbon Challenge to reduce its carbon footprint by 40 percent by 2030. And, the University has already been identified as a 2019 Leader in the ‘Reforming the Energy Vision Campus Challenge,’ a New York State Clean Energy Initiative.

The Servers will be located next to and supply clean electricity to Fordham’s Walsh Library. The library, first opened in 1997, is the largest of the University’s three libraries and host to more than one million volumes. It is located on the 179-year-old Rose Hill campus, the original campus of Fordham University, which is home to several historic buildings and next to the New York Botanical Gardens and the Bronx Zoo.

“We are deeply aware of the fact that responsible stewardship of the Earth is a charge from God our creator, who has entrusted it to our care,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. “Therefore, we are aware that we must bring to the present challenge all the wisdom and commitment that we can muster. The new servers are an important part of our strategy to make a meaningful reduction in our carbon footprint.”

“Fordham University is ahead of the curve in sustainable campus practices and green campus initiatives,” added Bill Bockoven, vice president of Eastern Region at Bloom Energy. “By adopting innovative technology to achieve green campus goals, Fordham illustrates its foresight and investment in protecting the campus and local environment, and leadership in the midst of today’s climate realities.”

In addition to sustainability benefits, Fordham University will see cost savings in deploying Bloom Energy Servers. There are no upfront capital costs and the University will experience lower and more predictable energy expenses. The groundbreaking for the installation is scheduled for this fall.

About Fordham University

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition across nine schools. Fordham awards baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degrees to approximately 15,000 students from Fordham College at Rose Hill, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, the Gabelli School of Business (undergraduate and graduate), the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, the Graduate Schools of Arts and Sciences, Education, Religion and Religious Education, and Social Service, and the School of Law. The University has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in West Harrison, N.Y., the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre in the United Kingdom.

About Bloom Energy

Bloom Energy’s mission is to make clean, reliable, and affordable energy for everyone in the world. The Company’s product, the Bloom Energy Server, delivers highly reliable and resilient, ‘Always-On’ electric power that is clean and sustainable. Bloom’s customers include 25 of the Fortune 100 companies and leaders in cloud services and data centers, healthcare, retail, financial services, utilities and many other industries. For more information, visit www.bloomenergy.com.