Stanford Marks 10 Years of Energy System Innovations
The SESI program transformed the university’s energy system into one that’s safe, sustainable, and resilient and serves as a model for the world.
The Green Library energy system was updated. This historical building utilized old-fashioned, pneumatic-controlled heating and cooling valves. These values were replaced with sustainable, pressure-independent electric control valves. Pressure-dependent systems lead to both excessive and insufficient space conditioning, given that the incoming pressure varies. Using pressure-independent valves in the renovation saved energy and increased thermal efficiency.
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Project: Electrify the Farm
Sergio Lopez used his fellowship to electrify Stanford’s Educational Farm, reducing emissions and leading the transition of small farms from fossil fuel dependency.
Project: Scheduling for Sustainability
Justin West ’25 piloted an occupancy-based HVAC scheduling system in the Gates building, aiming to reduce energy consumption by 20% through adjustments based on real-time data.