Biodiesel@MIT is proposing construction and management of a solar powered processor to convert waste vegetable oil to biodiesel. This processor will be located in a solar powered filling station, enabling the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to reduce its overall energy costs and environmental footprint.

If we are going to make our world more sustainable, it is important to develop comprehensive solutions to the energy problem. There are other universities that have projects in each of the separate areas of our proposal (processor, biodiesel fueling station, and solar power), but our project is unique in that it approaches the challenge of campus sustainability from multiple, integrated angles. No one has yet attempted to combine a processor, fueling station, and solar power into one project. It is our goal to show that this type of ambitious, comprehensive approach can be successfully implemented.

Additionally, the biodiesel project has great potential for future expansion and improvement. This fall, MIT President Susan Hockfield announced an on-campus energy initiative, and there is currently a lot of interest in alternative energy within the MIT community. It would be feasible for professors to use the processor-fueling station system for research or as part of a class. Even if it is not used for formal educational purposes, the project could still be expanded in future years to replace a greater percentage of MIT's fuel consumption, especially as more of the university's shuttles convert to diesel. As a result, we see this project as both a model for other universities and as a foundation for future sustainability-related endeavors at MIT.

Our project focuses on biodiesel and solar power, both of which are considered green energy sources. Both these energy sources are also cyclical in nature as they come from renewable sourcesÑfood oils (biomass) and the sun. Their usage will lead to a self-sustainable system that provides cleaner energy and does not risk a lack of supply.

Currently, a large portion of the world's energy supply is obtained from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. When burned, these release greenhouse gases and other inimical emissions. As greenhouse gases are allowed to build up in our atmosphere, heat gets absorbed into the atmosphere and oceans; gradually our planet gets warmer. Global warming will have many significant effects on the environment such as climate change, sea level rise, altered precipitation patterns, changed water supplies, and changing crop yields. It could also negatively affect human health, harm wildlife, and damage fragile ecosystems. Another major problem is that fossil fuel supplies are finite, causing a lack of sustainability for future generations.

MIT alone purchases $50 million of energy annually: 80 gWhr of electricity, 2.9*1012 btu of gas, and 0.4*1012 btu of oil. Our campus releases at least 275,000 metric tons CO2 each year. Of over 100 campus vehicles, only three use any type of alternative fuel -- compressed natural gas. While MIT has made many strides in advancing campus sustainability and has recently renewed its commitment to reducing its environmental impacts, there is tremendous opportunity to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions through energy conservation measures and the use of renewable fuels on campus.