Energy

Rice purchases electricity from the ERCOT grid via Shell Energy Solutions, while also self-generating some of its electricity needs via natural gas cogeneration turbines that were installed in the 1980s. With cogeneration turbines, the waste heat is captured and used to make steam for heating, thus delivering energy at high levels of efficiency.   

Buildings at Rice receive their energy via a district energy system, whereby electricity and thermal energy (in the form of chilled water for air conditioning and steam or hot water for heating) are distributed underground from the university’s two utility plants.  Planning is underway to guide future investments in Rice’s district energy system, including decarbonizing the system while enhancing its resilience.

Rice already has several renewable energy installations.

Geothermal

Rice’s South Plant features a demonstration-scale geothermal system.  Installed in 2008, the system provides heating and cooling for the South Plant's control room and conference room.  The system consists of ten wells each drilled to a depth of 250 feet, located just beyond the edge of the South Plant on the north side, facing Wiess College. 

Solar at Rice

Rice’s first solar array was installed on the roof of the south wing of Jones College in 2014.The 50-kW array came about as a partnership between Housing and Dining and the Office of Sustainability, with project management assistance from Facilities and Capital Planning.  Early planning for the project was accelerated by the work of an undergraduate chemical engineering student, as part of Rice’s Living Lab program.

A second solar array with a capacity of 47.5 kW was installed on the roof of the north wing of Jones College in 2018. 

The next group of arrays with a generation capacity of 86 kW were installed for the opening of the new Sid Richardson College building in 2021. 

A 166.5 kW roof-mounted solar system was installed at the graduate housing complex Rice Village Apartments in 2023.  As part of the project, the existing roof was replaced with what’s known as a “cool roof.”  This particular roof reflects more sunlight than a conventional roof and thus reduces the amount of heat transmitted into the building, which then saves energy because the air conditioning systems don’t have to work as hard to cool the building.  The shingles themselves are made in part of recycled plastic polymers from used rubber tires and plastic bags, which helps to keep those materials out of the landfill.  For this particular roof, the shingles contain polymers from over 49,000 plastic bags and 76 tires.  Further, the shingles have granules that not only protect against hail and the aging effects of ultraviolet light, but they also harness the sunlight to clean the air of smog.  The smog-fighting potential of these shingles is equivalent to nearly 31 trees.

The table below summarizes the installed solar arrays on campus, showing each system’s size and its annual energy production over the past three years.

Generation capacity (measured in kilowatts, or kW) represents the maximum power a solar array can produce at any moment under ideal conditions—essentially, its peak output potential. Production (measured in kilowatt-hours, or kWh) reflects the actual amount of electricity generated over time, which varies based on weather, system performance, and seasonal sunlight. Put simply, kW tells how big the system is, while kWh shows how much energy it actually produced throughout the year.

*RVA solar panels were installed partway through 2023.