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January 12, 2012

UPB institute focuses on energy

His childhood curiosity about science developed into an interest in studying energy, which led him to an undergraduate degree in physics and a doctorate in engineering science and mechanics.

KropfAnd that led Matt Kropf to the job as the first permanent director of Pitt-Bradford’s Energy Institute.

Whether it’s developing opportunities for students, consulting with industry leaders or fostering campus sustainability efforts, it’s all in a day’s work for Kropf.

Kropf, who has completed a year as Energy Institute director, has concentrated his energies on the institute’s three-part mission to engage industry, promote campus sustainability and enhance UPB’s energy education.

Kropf was named to the UPB position in August 2010, but delayed his full-time start to complete a biofuel research project at Penn State, where his doctoral dissertation focused on the biofuel production process.

For someone with his interests and experience, Kropf says he’s in the right place at the right time. Marcellus shale development and growing demand for energy have increased interest in UPB’s petroleum technology program. Beyond oil and gas, alternative energy including wind, geothermal and biomass also have potential in the region.

Nearby forest resources could be tapped to divert tree waste into fuel streams. For instance, one local company Kropf consults with in his role as Energy Institute director is in the torrefied biomass business, which creates fuel by drying plant matter into pellets that burn like coal.

Tree waste also can be used to make plastic. “Bio-derived plastics will be a growth industry for sure,” Kropf said.

In addition to lending his expertise to industry as a consultant, Kropf also is working to develop partnerships that would provide opportunities including research support and internships for students. A number of local energy industry executives are part of the Energy Institute’s advisory committee, instituted last June.

Kropf has developed a proposal for a four-year energy science and technology degree that would include course work in both petroleum technology and renewable energy. It currently is under review at UPB with the intention of seeking University approval this term. If approved, the program could be launched this fall, he said. He envisions beginning with a dozen students in the program, with potential for 50 eventually.

Kropf is working to establish a small biodiesel production plant on campus that would turn fryer oil into fuel. He’d also like to see a turbine built on the UPB grounds in conjunction with a new wind course he hopes to include as part of the four-year program curriculum. Such a project could be used to produce energy as well as to enhance students’ practical knowledge about wind power, including such skills as siting equipment, processing data and integrating the turbine with the power grid, he said.

Current UPB students already play an active role in campus sustainability initiatives, Kropf said.  As part of a capstone course, environmental studies bachelor’s degree program students develop energy-saving ideas that are presented to the campus sustainability committee for consideration.

The committee, made up of faculty, staff and student representatives, was formed last year and now has subcommittees for outreach, materials and recycling, energy monitoring and building and grounds. The committee’s impact is evident: Over the past year, it has brought experts to campus for public presentations on energy-related topics and instituted composting as well as  no-sort recycling.

Kropf said the campus community has the desire, “but seeing what it all means and what it takes to be green is sometimes an eye-opener.”

Many energy-saving initiatives on campus are similar to what individuals may do at home: insulating, installing low-flow water fixtures and optimizing heating and cooling systems.

The building and grounds subcommittee has added a compost pile for lawn trimmings and kitchen waste; other food-related efforts include offering reusable to-go containers and developing local sources for food served on campus.

Enforcing print quotas, encouraging double-sided printing and reducing energy use through motion-activated lighting and energy-saving computer usage practices also contribute, Kropf said.

Energy monitors have been installed and the committee is gathering baseline data on campus energy consumption with an eye toward becoming carbon-neutral.

Although the UPB campus benefits from 110 wooded acres that help sequester carbon, Kropf said that could take a decade. “If money were no object, we could purchase energy offsets,” but since that’s not possible, the focus is on reducing consumption, expanding campus green space and adding alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass, he said.

Large or small, the efforts add up. “We’re going to see consumption go down a lot,” Kropf said. Energy savings are being realized but full results won’t be available until the heating season ends.

Kropf said he’s anxious to report how much money sustainability initiatives are saving on campus. “There’s so much room for improvement, it’s going to be good for us.”

—Kimberly K. Barlow

Filed under: Feature,Volume 44 Issue 9

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