UCSD strives to be 'greenest' university.

Administrators at UC San Diego say the school will soon lead the nation's universities in the use of renewable energy sources.

Chancellor Marye Anne Fox said April 3 that the university plans to generate 10 percent to 15 percent of its annual electricity needs from renewable energy sources, which will reduce its reliance on fossil fuels in the next few years.

Extracting energy from photovoltaic solar panels, wind farms and methane-powered fuel cells, the university will be able to generate 7.4 megawatts from renewable sources, enough to power 2,100 homes for a year.

This will make UCSD a campus leader nationwide, Fox says.

The UC San Diego campus has a large appetite for energy, peaking at 38 to 40 megawatts annually, due to its research focus, says Gary Matthews, vice chancellor of resource management and planning.

About 85 percent of that demand is currently generated from fossil fuels and natural gas, he says.

Last month, the university signed a contract to buy 1 megawatt of photovoltaic solar energy that will be generated by panels on campus buildings and parking structures; with plans to double production capacity within the next year.

About 3 megawatts of electrical power will be purchased by the university from local wind farms.

And 2.4 megawatts of power will come from fuel cells, operated by third-party providers, that are powered on methane from the UC San Diego cogeneration plant and Point Loma sewerage treatment plant.

Administrators from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, College of Biological Sciences and UCSD's Sustainability Initiative touted the university's culture of sustainability, which helps drive research.