Home > Planet Blue Renewable Energy Demonstration Project
The Planet Blue Renewable Energy Demonstration Project provides funding for students, faculty, and staff to design and implement renewable energy demonstration projects. Stationing small-scale renewable energy generators on campus is intended to provide interactive learning and research opportunities for the campus community.
This initiative is a direct outcome of a 2015 report from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Committee and is administered by the Office of Campus Sustainability.
Applications have closed because all funding is currently allocated. If additional funding becomes available, we’ll be sure to update this info.
Proposals are evaluated by a review committee in two stages. The initial proposal should include the overall scope of the project, research/curriculum relationship, estimated contribution toward U-M’s GHG reduction goal, and anticipated benefits to the university community.
If the initial proposal is approved, applicants will be asked to complete a more detailed proposal. This project is available to the U-M Ann Arbor campus only.
For more information, please contact Ken Keeler at kkeeler@umich.edu.
Funding supported the installation of solar-powered charging tables at West Quad and North Campus Recreation Building in early 2021 to promote sustainable device charging and health and wellness during the pandemic and beyond.
An award was granted to Associate Professor Joseph Trumpey to install a small photovoltaic system that powers the off-grid straw bale building at the Campus Farm.
Radrick Farms Golf Course was awarded funding to install a solar-powered aerator for one of the course ponds. The system improves the health of the pond through increased oxygenation of the water and reduces unsightly algae build-up.
Anna Stefanopoulou, Director of the U-M Energy Institute, was awarded funding to perform a preliminary design and cost analysis for installing a charging system for an electric bus fleet.
Jose Alfaro, Assistant Professor with the School for Environment and Sustainability, plans to build a bio-waste gasifier at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens near the Campus Farm with student help.
Geoff Lewis, Research Specialist Lead with U-M School for Environment and Sustainability, has requested funds for a system designed to collect and display information about the existing Dana Building photovoltaic system.