My name is Wolfgang Bauer. I am a professor in the
Department of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State
University. This is my virtual office in
Cyberspace. You can explore it by clicking on the navigation
tabs above.
From 2001 to 2013 I served as chair of the Department of
Physics and Astronomy and from 2009 to 2013 as founding director of the Institute
for Cyber-Enabled Research.
For the last decade I worked primarily on MSU's Energy Transition Plan, with a stint as Senior Consultant (2013-2018) and
subsequently Associate Vice President for Administration (2018-2020).
Recent Work Milestones
2012: MSU Board of Trustees approves the
MSU Energy Transition Plan, a document our writing group had been working on since 2010.
2013: MSU opens the anaerobic digester, a copy
of my family's German biogas facility.
2014: Spartan Treasure Hunts, in partnership with GE. These treasure hunts aim to reduce energy use through energy conservation
measures.
2016: Completion of the 100 MW backup power connection to the MISO grid, in partnership with Consumers Energy.
2017: Completion of the MSU
Solar Carport Array with a peak power output of 11 MW, the largest in North America.
This project is a partnership with Customer First Renewables, inovateus! and Alterra, in the form of a 25-year power
purchase agreement.
2018: Completion of the central
MSU Data Center, which will eventually consolidate the majority of the 72 existing individual data centers on
MSU's campus, saving 10,000 MWh of electricity per year.
2018: Establishment of the office of the Campus Sustainability Director,
initially reporting to me.
2021: Completion of the 30 MW reciprocating internal combustion engines power plant, which will save approximately $5 million in
fuel costs per year and reduce MSU's greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50,000 metric tons of CO2 per year.
2022: Projected completion of the new
20 MW ground mount solar array, which will produce 40,000 MWh of solar electricity per year (power purchase agreement contract
signed in December 2020).
