In recent years, Stanford has made great strides in becoming a more sustainable campus and one of the most energy efficient universities in the world. Now, new upgrades to Stanford’s electrical infrastructure will help the university reach its goal of operating at net-zero emissions.

The Electrical Reliability Improvements (ERI) project will replace outdated equipment that distributes electricity to hundreds of buildings on the Stanford campus, thereby improving electrical reliability, resilience, and capacity, and bringing Stanford’s utility system up to modern standards.

“Much of the current infrastructure, like transformers and vaults, is at or nearing the end of its useful life, so this project is designed to get that electrical distribution system up to code,” said Brian Schultze, ERI project manager.

The improvements will enable Stanford to further electrify buildings, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and move the campus closer to net-zero emissions.

ERI is an important component of Stanford’s new Climate Action Plan, which will be published next year. The plan outlines steps the university will take to mitigate the impacts of climate change and prepare for its future ramifications, such as extreme heat, wind, rain, and drought.

“Stanford is taking a leadership role, both with ERI, which will prepare our campus for electrification, and the Climate Action Plan, which will provide the global community with a roadmap for how to reach net zero responsibly,” said Provost Jenny Martinez, who sits on the plan’s executive committee.

Powering Stanford

Electricity from the California grid powers Stanford’s utility system. Electrical infrastructure – like cabling, wiring, vaults, and transformers – distributes that electricity to power more than 600 buildings on the Stanford campus.

“The ERI project will replace over six miles of high-voltage electrical duct bank, around 200 transformers, and a lot of other infrastructure that we care for,” Schultze said.

The project will enable Stanford to further electrify campus with upgrades like electric stoves in kitchens and electric vehicle charging stations, and by converting buildings that are still heated with steam and gas boilers to fully electric heating.

Once complete, the ERI improvements will increase electrical reliability and capacity. | Courtesy Office of Sustainability

Work on the ERI improvements began in January and will occur in phases. The first will take about eight years to complete and involves replacing the most critical infrastructure that is currently or soon to be out of date. The second phase will replace less critical infrastructure that, if it were to fail, would not impact research or university operations. The third phase will replace equipment that will reach the end of its useful life in the next several years.

The entire project is estimated to take 12 to 16 years to complete. Schultze said the work will be scheduled and conducted in coordination with campus partners to ensure that disruptions, such as temporary outages, have minimal impact on campus life. Members of the campus community with questions or concerns can contact the team.

Ron Gawer, senior director of energy operations, oversees the ERI upgrades. He said that for most of Stanford’s history, electrical problems or improvements were addressed through routine maintenance. But several years ago, a power failure on campus led him and his team to assess the entire campus electrical infrastructure. They found that much of the distribution equipment was aging or already past its useful life and needed upgrading.

“We also concluded that this is a much bigger effort than what could be accomplished with just routine maintenance, so we proposed a major overhaul,” Gawer said, adding that while the project is broad in scope, it will further Stanford’s climate goals.

Sustainable Stanford

In 2015, the Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) program transformed the university’s energy system from fossil fuel-based to predominately 100% renewable, grid-sourced electricity.

“Stanford has significantly reduced its direct carbon footprint – Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions – by 80%, and currently operates on 100% renewable electricity,” said Kristin Parineh, director of the Office of Sustainability.

California has also set similar ambitious climate goals, leading millions of energy customers – from individual homeowners to institutions like Stanford – to ditch carbon-fueled energy for clean electricity. That growing demand has put pressure on the state to improve its power grid and power distribution.

In 2020, the Stanford Board of Trustees adopted a goal to reach net-zero emissions in its operations and endowment by 2050. Now, dozens of university stakeholders – including faculty, staff and students – are developing the new Climate Action Plan, slated for release in the fall of 2025. It details steps Stanford is taking to address climate change, notably reducing carbon emissions and increasing climate resilience.

“This initiative brings together the highest levels of leadership, subject matter experts, and the passionate contributions of our students and faculty to redefine what is possible for climate action on our campus,” said Sam Lubow, associate director of climate action in the Office of Sustainability.

Parineh noted that while ERI is both complex and broad in scope, the results set an example for other organizations and municipalities for how to electrify and reduce carbon emissions.

“We are very grateful to the Stanford community for enduring the construction over the coming years, so this important and consequential project can carry Stanford into a more sustainable future,” said Parineh.