Spring Break
HBS Sets a Milestone in Renewable Energy
Brian Robertson (HBS '04) and Dan Cook (HBS'04) lead a project that has made Shad partially self-sufficient
Teresa Aguilar (OI), Special Contributor
Issue date: 9/29/03 Section: News
The rest of the funding was provided by Harvard University. The Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI) a system of loans that supports green initiatives on campus waived their 5 year payback requisite to lend them $150,000, based on the benefits of the program. The rest was committed by HBS. "We were very pleasantly surprised by the amount of work that Harvard is already doing on energy saving throughout campus" they confessed. In fact, by working with Frank Hayes, Chief of Operations at HBS, they discovered that an energy saving plan at Shad was already being implemented, including $210,700 in efficiency improvements and a $205,100 co-generation facility (a liquid-propane based generator that simultaneously heats water), which is planned to be installed in the near future.
So their efforts paid off, the panels were finally installed three weeks ago and started generating electricity last week. They have plans to install a device where all visitors can check the amount of electricity generated and CO2 saved, and possibly make this information available real time through the internet. But for Brian and Dan, this is only the "tip of the iceberg" of what can be achieved in this area. They expect renewable energy generation to fill the gap between increased demand and the supply of the over-utilized grid. This would not only benefit the environment, but is essential in increasing our energy independence and reliability - no more blackouts! - against the current background of terrorism. Their wish is that this project helps other organizations accelerate their own efforts in implementing green-energy projects. But for now, they have proved that HBS is a place where visions came true, and we thank them for it.
So their efforts paid off, the panels were finally installed three weeks ago and started generating electricity last week. They have plans to install a device where all visitors can check the amount of electricity generated and CO2 saved, and possibly make this information available real time through the internet. But for Brian and Dan, this is only the "tip of the iceberg" of what can be achieved in this area. They expect renewable energy generation to fill the gap between increased demand and the supply of the over-utilized grid. This would not only benefit the environment, but is essential in increasing our energy independence and reliability - no more blackouts! - against the current background of terrorism. Their wish is that this project helps other organizations accelerate their own efforts in implementing green-energy projects. But for now, they have proved that HBS is a place where visions came true, and we thank them for it.
