Renewable Energy Project Case Studies
(Last updated January 2006)
Graduate Student Housing – One Western Avenue
Harvard Real Estate Services has purchased a two year contract that will provide 3,990,000 kilowatt-hours of Renewable 
Energy Certificates annually in order to offset the Western Avenue graduate student housing electricity usage. The addition of clean energy to the building’s list of green features earned this project key points as it achieved LEED Silver Certification.
Business School – Shad Hall Solar Array
Last fall, an ambitious student-initiated project at the Harvard Business School led to the installation of a 
192 panel photovoltaic array above Shad Hall – the second largest of its kind in Boston. The 36 kilowatt installation prevents the emission of about 75,000 lbs of CO 2 per year.
To learn more about the Shad Hall Photovoltaic Panel Project check out the related Green Campus Loan Fund project case study.
Harvard College – Quincy House
Beginning in Earth Day 2004, Quincy House ran exclusively off of wind power for a week and prevented the emission of about 25 tons of CO 2 gas. The funds were raised through equal contributions from Quincy residents (1/3), the House masters (1/3), and the Undergraduate Council (1/3). This project, led by Dave Thompson, Tutor for Quincy House, earned the Quincy House a prize in the HGCI/FAS Resource Efficiency Program Green Cup Challenge. For more information on the project, visit the Quincy House Wind Project web site.
Kennedy School of Government
In February, 2004, students at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government voted to pay $5 each semester on their term bills to purchase clean power accounting for 100% of the school's electricity load. Through this process, KSG would have had approximately $9,000 annual fund with which to purchase renewable energy.
The KSG Administration has been extremely supportive in putting this decision into effect; the KSG Administration had originally volunteered to purchase the difference to bring the purchase up to 100% wind energy. Now, in fact, the Administration is "giving back" the money to the students and in fact is making the entire purchase from its operations budget to satisfy 100 percent of its electricity needs through clean energy.
University Operations Services – Diesel Fleet
Biodiesel began fueling the 25 diesel vehicles in Harvard’s fleet during Spring 2004 as the University Operations Services constructed its very own biodiesel filling station. The 20% soybean oil, 80% diesel oil blend promises to reduce the emissions of particulates and greenhouse gases. The University will save an estimated 15 cents per gallon with biodiesel over the cost of diesel fuel at retail pumps.
Work first began on this project in Summer 2001 when the HGCI secured funding from the Ford Foundation to research alternative fuel vehicles. By the end of this summer research project, the team had uncovered that biodiesel out-performed conventional gasoline, diesel fuel, compressed natural gas and electric vehicles in relation to net environmental impact and cost.
University Operations Services, Transportation Services was so impressed with by this research that they became seriously committed to bringing biodiesel to Harvard University. Over an 18 month period, a trial was undertaken, an assessment of fuel access and storage options was conducted, all necessary approvals were gained and an onsite facility established. For more information, visit the UOS Transportation Services website.
School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health has purchased wind energy certificates to offset 50% of the electricity of all buildings at
 Landmark Center |
HSPH's main campus and additionally Shattuck International House and the Landmark Center 4th Floor West. In Shattuck, the certificates were funded specifically through energy savings generated by the students in response to the Longwood Green Campus Initiative's Go Cold Turkey campaign, which prompted students to pledge to turn off lights, heat and appliances during the Thanksgiving holiday break and beyond.
In Landmark, the purchase was specifically part of an effort to achieve LEED certification for the office buildout.
For more information on the purchase of renewable energy at the Harvard School of Public Health, visit the Renewable Energy section of the Longwood HGCI website.
Harvard Medical School
Five HMS buildings have won wind energy in Go Cold Turkey 2004: Vanderbilt Hall, 160/164 Longwood, Countway Library, Gordon Hall and TMEC won wind energy certificates for 25-percent of their electrical load from January 05 to the end of December 05.
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Ten buildings at FAS have won wind energy in Go Cold Turkey 2004: Paine Hall, 38 Kirkland Street, 1705 Mass Avenue, Eliot House, Quincy House, Weld Hall, 3 Sacramento Street and Farlow Hall. Certificates for about 1,500,000 kWh of electricity will be purchased for these buildings, an amount equivalent to 50-percent of their annual consumption.
Harvard Divinity School
In spring 2005, Harvard Divinity School decided to purchase renewable energy certificates to offset 100% of the school’s electricity load, as a sign of their support for Harvard sustainability principles. The purchase of 1,400 MWh of green power was financed through savings from energy conservation projects.