RESPC this student group’s work
The Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee plays a major role in creating a more sustainable Carolina.
Carolina students effect change across campus, and a leading example is the Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee.
You’ve come across RESPC’s work if you’ve been on an electric Chapel Hill Transit bus, charged your phone while sitting at a solar table or taken an energy and ecology special topics class.
Each semester since 2004, students have paid a $4 Student Renewable Energy Fee. How this fee is used is also determined by students, who work on projects with leaders and units across campus to make Carolina more sustainable and energy efficient.
“I think it’s really cool that we have this responsibility,” said RESPC co-chair Max Nelson ’26. “I think it also benefits the University to have this in the hands of students.”
Nelson and fellow co-chair Tommy Zucchinali ’26 spoke with The Well about RESPC’s work.
Different projects matter in different ways
Nelson appreciates how each RESPC project makes an impact in a different way — no matter how large or small.
Adding solar panels atop a building or replacing lighting with LEDs may not capture much attention but are among the most environmentally impactful examples of RESPC’s work.
Conversely, other projects prioritize community awareness about sustainability and smart energy use — like solar tables near the Pit and in the Murray-Venable courtyard, energy-generating treadmills in the Student Recreation Center and stickers on residence hall washing machines encouraging cold water washing.
“Those are not projects that are ultimately going to save a massive amount of energy over time, but they get students really interested in this stuff,” Nelson said.
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All are welcome
The University entrusting students in RESPC with this decision-making power is rare compared to other universities.
When Zucchinali, who’s actively applying for energy industry jobs, tells interviewers about RESPC, he often hears “my university didn’t really have that.”
Nelson said past RESPC members he’s worked with have gone on to work various environmental jobs, from consulting to roles with charitable foundations.
But they also welcome environmental novices. “We take all kinds of students,” Nelson said. “We don’t just take environmental majors.”
RESPC meets weekly and has around 30 student members. Carolina faculty and staff also serve as ex officio members to offer advice and guidance.
Current projects include new roofs and sheep
Nelson is excited about the organization’s biggest project yet: putting solar panels atop the Frank Porter Graham Student Union when its roof is replaced. The group approved the project this semester, and plans are underway.
RESPC also has funding approved to bring sheep to the large-scale solar facility owned and operated by the University and managed by UNC Energy Services.
Once there, the sheep will “mow” the grass. The idea came from Melanie Elliott, a sustainability analyst at the UNC Institute for the Environment and a RESPC adviser.
“Sort of a cool agrivoltaics demo to show how farming and solar can work together,” Nelson said.
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RESPC creates educational opportunities
RESPC regularly funds ENEC 490: Special Topics classes to fulfill its mission of providing energy education to Carolina students.
The courses prioritize industry expertise by bringing in leading professionals as professors. The three courses offered this semester cover energy storage and the grid, clean energy supply chains, and data science and energy transition.
Zucchinali took a class with Jeff Soplop, CEO of Nimble Energy, a Carrboro company that helps organizations identify energy savings.
The goal is to give students skills they’ll use in future careers.
“He was teaching us how to use Python to do energy modeling,” Zucchinali said. “It was really applied stuff and great to learn.”
Learn more about RESPC and how to get involved at the committee’s website
Tommy Zucchinali (left) and Max Nelson (right) are RESPC co-chairs. (Submitted photo)
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