eLab: Forge Teams

Building a Community College for the 21st Century

Making the case for efficiency, renewables, and storage

Champion: Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD)

Overview

This team is investigating the integration of energy efficiency, on-site solar, and storage projects for new and existing buildings within the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD). As part of a $1.1B capital improvement bond, DCCCD is looking to reduce electricity costs, enhance resilience, and serve as a model for community colleges across the state. 

Project Objectives

• Develop a vision for energy efficiency, solar, and storage to be integrated into new and existing buildings and construction projects
• Build effective communication strategies to win buy-in from key decision makers
• Begin planning a path for net-zero energy campuses

Facilitator

Alisa Petersen, RMI Senior Associate, Buildings

Team Members

• Georgeann Moss, Executive Administrator of Sustainability Outreach and Initiatives, Dallas County Community College District
• Kevin Barber, Managing Partner, Texas Energy Aggregation
• Ryan Sheard, Account Executive, South Region, McKinstry
• Garrett Rosser, Associate Director, Energy Management Services, North Lake College
• Scott Wright, Senior Director of Facilities Management and Operations, Dallas County Community College District
• James McGuire, Director of Environmental Quality & Sustainability, City of Dallas

Progress Made to Date (pre-Accelerator)

DCCCD is in the process of developing a sustainability plan and is hoping to transition to 100 percent renewables when their current electricity contract expires in 2021.

Project Background Information

For more information on DCCCD sustainability:
https://www.dcccd.edu/au/sustainability/pages/default.aspx