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Harvard actively invests in and supports the transition to renewable energy sources as part of its commitment to climate action.
In addition, our teaching and research across Harvard—in climate science, engineering, law, public health, policy, design, and business—is helping to accelerate the progression to renewable sources of energy.
To complement the emissions reductions from energy supply and demand, the University purchased wind from Maine and existing hydro power from Massachusetts in 2016 as an interim step to meet our short-term climate goal (the other options identified were not needed as the on-site emissions reductions were larger than projected).
Three ways we support renewable energy
1. On-site installations
Harvard’s Schools and administrative departments have installed a wide variety of renewable and alternative energy systems on campus and on University-owned property. The alternative energy installations (such as solar thermal and geothermal) reduce Harvard's fuel purchases and therefore reduce GHG emissions.
The renewable energy installations generate renewable energy credits (RECs). A REC is a tradable environmental commodity that signifies that one-megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity was generated by a renewable resource and delivered to the grid. A REC represents the environmental benefits of renewable generation. Only the owner of the REC can claim the environmental benefits of the renewable energy generation to avoid double-counting. Harvard retains the majority of the RECs generated from these on-site installations for regulatory compliance, but also sells some of the RECs to third parties.
Co-generation (also known as Combined Heat and Power)
|
Location |
Size |
Average Annual Production |
|---|---|---|
|
Blackstone Steam Plant, Campus Services |
5.6 MW |
14.8 million kWh/year |
|
Blodgett Pool, Athletics |
- |
300,000 kWh/year |
|
Doubletree Hotel, Harvard Real Estate |
- |
- |
|
Malkin Athletic Complex Pool, Athletics |
75 kW |
- |
|
Shad Hall, Harvard Business School |
75 kW |
600,000 kWh/year |
Solar Photovoltaic (PV)
|
Location |
Size |
Average Annual Production |
|---|---|---|
|
Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Garage |
30.8 kW |
32,000 kWh/year (16% production needs) |
|
Arsenal Mall, Harvard Real Estate |
501 kW |
Note: Harvard was responsible for installing the solar PV project on the roof of the Arsenal Mall in 2009. However, the rooftop array is no longer owned by Harvard because the building was sold by Harvard in 2013. |
|
Harvard Art Museums |
26.1kW |
|
|
Baker Library, Bloomberg Center, Harvard Business School |
42.5 kW |
Estimated 49,000 kWh/year |
|
Batten Hall, Harvard Business School (installed 2015) |
113 kW |
Estimated 134,363 kWh/year |
|
Center for World Religions, Harvard Divinity School (installed 2014) |
19.6 kW |
Estimated 21,530 kWh/year (25% of energy needs for the building) |
|
Gordon Track and Tennis Complex, Athletics |
600 kW |
View real time statistics |
|
Gutman Library, Harvard Graduate School of Education |
4.8 kW |
- |
|
Harvard Forest (installed 2007) |
10.2 kW |
View real time statistics. |
|
Morgan Hall, Harvard Business School |
48 kW |
53,800 kWh estimated annual production. View real time statistics. |
|
38 Oxford Street, Faculty of Arts & Sciences (installed 2017) |
330 kW |
|
|
Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study |
14 kW |
|
|
Shad Hall, Harvard Business School (installed 2003) |
36.5 kW |
35,000 kWh/year |
|
Science Center, Faculty of Arts & Sciences |
10.8 kW |
- |
|
Tata Hall, Harvard Business School (installed 2013) |
71 kW |
Estimated 79,331 kWh/year. View real time statistics |
|
25 Travis Street, Harvard Business School (installed 2015) |
33.55 kW |
Estimated 38,795 kWh/year. |
|
Teele Hall |
25 kW |
Estimated 28,677 kWh/year. |
|
Wasserstein Hall, Harvard Law School |
97.6 kW |
Estimated 114,000 kWh/year. Electric offset equal to total annual consumption at Dane Hall. |
Roof-mounted Wind Turbines
|
Location |
Size |
Average Annual Production |
|---|---|---|
|
Soldiers Field Park Garage. |
(2) 10KW turbines |
20,000 kWh |
Geothermal Energy (Ground-source Heat Pumps)
|
Location |
Description |
Purpose |
|---|---|---|
|
Zero/2 Arrow Street |
- |
- |
|
46 Blackstone Street |
(2) 30 ton water source heat pumps with titanium plate and frame heat exchangers (2) 1,500 foot open geothermal wells |
Cooling only |
|
Byerly Hall, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study |
(5) 35 ton water source heat pumps with titanium plate and frame heat exchangers (4) 1,500 foot open geothermal wells |
Heating and cooling |
|
1 Francis Street |
(13) 1 ton water source heat pumps (2) 1,500 foot open geothermal wells |
Heating and cooling |
|
90 Mt. Auburn Street |
(5) 30 ton water source heat pumps (3) 400 to 600 foot open geothermal wells |
Heating and cooling |
|
Quadrangle Recreation and Athletic Center |
- |
- |
|
Radcliffe Gym |
2) 35 ton water source heat pumps with titanium plate and frame heat exchangers (2) 1,500 foot open geothermal wells |
Heating and cooling |
|
Weld Hill Research Center, Arnold Arboretum |
(11) 35 ton water source heat pumps (88) 500 foot closed vertical geothermal wells |
Heating and cooling |
Solar Hot Water
|
Location |
Details |
|---|---|
|
HBS Esteves Hall |
Domestic solar hot water. Pressurized glycol solution system with 28 collectors serving Esteves Hall and future Chao Center. Expected to avoid 57,800 lbs of CO2 emissions annually. |
|
46 Blackstone St. North, Campus Services |
Domestic solar hot water |
|
472 Broadway St. |
View real time statistics (542.5 sq ft of collector area/19,867 kWh annually) |
|
Canaday Hall Solar Thermal and Steam Heat Recovery System |
Read the Harvard Gazette story for more information |
|
20 Prescott St. |
View real time statistics (1017 sq ft of collector are/46,936 kWH annually) |
|
3 Sacramento St. (installed 2008) |
(2) panels |
Other
|
Location |
Type |
Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Harvard Forest |
Biomass |
Thermal biomass system. Read about the project in the Harvard Gazette or visit the Harvard Forest website. |
|
Harvard Business School |
GreenRev |
Program uses human energy to produce electricity (spin class bicycles tied to generators which are tied back to the building grid) at Harvard Business School's Shad Hall gym. |
|
Faculty of Arts & Sciences |
Heat recovery |
Heat is recovered from the steam tunnels under Canaday Hall as part of solar and steam heat recovery system. |
2. Direct purchases
As a licensed retail supplier of electricity, Harvard directly purchases energy from renewable sources to meet both regulatory compliance requirements and the 2006-2016 climate goal.
STETSON Wind II Project
Harvard was an early leader in investing in renewable energy and off-site emissions reduction through the long-term PPA it signed in 2009 for 12MW of power and RECs from the Stetson II wind project in Maine. The University was required by legislation to purchase RECs each year to meet compliance standards, but made the leadership decision to invest in a long term contract for the energy plus RECs from a new wind project, and the University was one of the first organizations to voluntarily make a large scale Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), now a common model for corporate renewable energy buyers.
With this purchase, Harvard became the largest purchaser of wind energy by a higher education institution in New England at that time. Harvard has a 15-year agreement with First Wind to purchase half the energy and RECs generated at the Stetson Wind II wind facility in Maine.
3. Regulatory compliance
As a licensed retail supplier of electricity, Harvard is subject to the Massachusetts Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and the Alternative Portfolio Standard (APS) which require a specific percentage of electricity generation to come from renewable energy sources. Harvard’s requirements under the RPS and APS will increase to approximately 22% of total electric load in 2016. (Other retail suppliers of electricity, such as Eversource and National Grid, are also subject to these same requirements.) Harvard uses a combination of RECs from on-site projects, direct renewable energy contracts, and RECs purchased from third parties to meet these requirements.
Harvard Schools and departments also purchase RECs in order to obtain points for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process. These are generally one-time REC purchases to cover two years of electricity use in the buildings.
On campus, we are also transitioning to a cleaner energy supply.
Harvard’s Blackstone Steam Plant and chilled water plants were both upgraded to improve efficiency and reduce emissions.
Fuel switching to natural gas + Combined heat and power + Additional utility efficiency upgrades = 20,500 MTCDE reduction, equivalent to taking over 4,300 cars off the road.
Watch a video tour of the Canaday Hall solar water and steam heat recovery system:
