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The NextGen Energy Program

The Path to Our Sustainable Energy Future.

A carbon-neutral campus is a significant step, but now it’s time to set our sights on reducing UMD's dependency on fossil fuels. We are committed to a fossil fuel-free power plant under the NextGen Energy Program.

UMD President Darryll J. Pines
Darryll J. Pines, President, University of Maryland

The University of Maryland is committed to being a responsible steward of our financial and shared resources, including the air, water and land we all rely on every day.

Carlo Colella
Carlo Colella, Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer, University of Maryland
testudo

A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, UMD is home to more than 40,700 students, 14,000 faculty and staff, and 388,000 alumni, all dedicated to moving Fearlessly Forward. Our College Park campus is a small city unto itself.

Solar Canopy on Parking Garage

To support this expansive enterprise, the university relies on a variety of energy sources, including wind, solar and natural gas.

Cogent Plant

NextGen will play a critical role in ensuring that the University of Maryland can depend on a sustainable energy system for decades to come and provide multiple pathways to achieve the university’s goals of carbon neutrality by 2025 and going fossil fuel-free by 2035. 

NextGen not only puts us on a pathway to achieve the university’s goal of a fossil fuel-free energy system by 2035, but will also increase our efficiency and sustainability, reducing carbon emissions from our Central Energy Plant by 23% and saving 50% of the total water usage the plant requires annually.

We Are One University Community. Together, We Will Power Our Future.