UH Aims to Reach Net-Zero by 2035, But Faces Challenges

All 10 campuses in the UH system are aiming to reach net-zero emission goals by 2035, but funding challenges are putting the university behind schedule.

The UH Office of Sustainability is the primary office responsible for planning and implementing infrastructure to help ensure that the university’s sustainability goals are met.

“We, the university, can’t do this alone,” said Miles Topping, the director of the Office of Sustainability.

The university’s net-zero goal is following a collective target set by UH and the state legislature in 2015. It is also in accordance with a renewed initiative by Gov. Josh Green that boosts efforts for all state agencies, including UH, to be 100% renewable by 2045.

According to the UH Office of Sustainability’s net-zero dashboard, UH is 11.81% on track to reaching net-zero by the goal of 2035. Achieving net-zero emissions means that UH produces as much energy as it consumes.

UH Mānoa, the system’s flagship campus, is the largest consumer of energy in the system and will require the most action.

The sustainability office’s 2022 long range development plan (LRDP) outlines the preferred scenario for photovoltaic and solar panel installation. The preferred plan shows almost all buildings at UH Mānoa having solar panels installed along with solar panel parking canopies, walkway coverings and a larger ground mounted solar facility next to the Waʻahila faculty housing units.

The plan lists construction phases where approximately $20 million is needed annually over the next 10 to 20 years to reach university and state energy goals. According to Topping, UH has requested $20 million from the state legislature for the last four years, but has received no funding.

“So we’re four years behind,” Topping said. “That’s $80 million worth of construction that we are behind on.”

To make up for funding shortfalls, Topping said he and the UH administration are exploring more partnerships with private energy companies, like Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), and looking into other funding sources like UH Foundation.

 

Successes on Other UH Campuses

But, barring funding challenges, solar and PV installations have shown promising results at other UH campuses.

In 2021, UH Maui College became one of the first university campuses in the country to achieve net-zero through the installation of solar and PV panels. The implementation of solar along with other various energy efficiency efforts led UH Maui College to reduce their fossil fuel use for energy by 100%.

UH Maui College followed in the footsteps of UH Leeward Community College, which became the first UH campus to achieve net-zero in 2020. The campus achieved this through on-site PV panels, which accounts for 97% of its energy production.

In April of 2024, UH West Oʻahu unveiled a joint project with AES Hawaiʻi to open a 66-acre solar facility in Makakilo to produce and store energy.

The Office of Sustainability has also acknowledged that the plans to get UH to net-zero emissions will be expensive, but will save money in the long run.

“It’s an expensive startup,” Topping said on university sustainability initiatives. “But, for every million dollars you put into solar in 20 years, you make $2 million. So you get your million back, and you get another million in savings.”

But the solar plan detailed in the LRDP only gets UH around halfway to the sustainable goals set for 2035, according to Topping.

The other 50% is going to come from alternative energy sources, like wind and hydrothermal, and from making each campus more energy efficient.

“So, part of the solution is to reduce the amount of energy that we use by installing more efficient systems, lighting, air conditioning, so that we can operate it efficiently,” Topping said.

 

AC is the Main Consumer

According to the Office of Sustainability, one of the largest consumers of energy on the campuses are the HVAC systems (heating, ventilation and air conditioning). HVAC systems account for 58% of total energy consumption across the 10 campuses system.

“[There are] 6 million square feet of air conditioned space and 44 buildings that have air conditioners that run 24/7, and things like research are very energy intensive to keep labs in a stable environment,” Topping said.

Along with the development of solar across the campuses, UH is also updating and installing new and more energy efficient HVAC units to save over 1.6 million kWh/year.

Using solar to reach net-zero could also have positive impacts beyond the environment.

“Solar in all ways is a win-win,” Tanaka said. “We help address our renewable energy goals with relatively minimal impact and we save money which hopefully gets passed down to students, faculty and programs.”

Tanaka also said while UH should continue to be as sustainable as possible, they also should use their resources like research and innovation to uplift sustainability efforts across the state.

“One of the most important roles of our higher education system is to help build a society that’s there to help enrich and enlighten our society,” Tanaka said. “Sustainability is one of the most critical things that we need to invest in.”

 

Student Involvement

While UH plans for PV and solar to lead the way to a sustainable future, the Office of Sustainability emphasized the need for student involvement.

“In terms of changing, changing the culture around sustainability, it really starts with students. Because these are the future educators. These are the future parents. These are future leaders,” said Ruby Aliason, the marketing coordinator for the UH Office of Sustainability.

The Office of Sustainability also partners with academic and university administrative departments to boost student engagement and participation.

According to Aliason, the sustainability office works with students from the UH Mānoa College of Engineering on projects like developing software and technology to monitor gas usage around campus, which then informs policy. The sustainability office also works with the Shidler College of Business’ sustainable marketing class to maximize student engagement.

“It’s really important to emphasize how the choices we make today impact tomorrow’s generation and the sustainability of tomorrow,” Aliason said.

And with the construction of numerous new buildings and projects especially at UH Mānoa, students say it should be built with sustainability at the forefront.

“These buildings are going to be here for a while, so we want to build for our future,” said Sarah Arios, a junior at UH West Oʻahu. “If we don’t think about that, then we’re setting up our future for failure.”

The student sustainability council also serves as an open forum for UH students to speak on issues surrounding sustainability and provides a place for concerns to be raised.

“If we don’t take action now, it’s going to be really hard to reverse the effects of climate change,” said Taylor Morikawa, a junior at UH Mānoa. “The time to do something about it is now.”