Creating power by the Yard
Sustainability often happens behind the scenes. But Harvard’s newest renewable energy project is also among its most conspicuous: more than 3,200 square feet of solar panels installed over the summer atop the three buildings that make up Canaday Hall, a freshman dormitory on the northern periphery of Harvard Yard. The panels are part of a solar thermal and steam tunnel heat-recovery project that’s expected to supply at least 60 percent of domestic hot water for all buildings in the Yard. By using thermal energy to heat water instead of using fossil fuels, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) will take another step toward meeting the University’s goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent below a 2006 baseline by 2016, including new growth. The solar panels were installed without needing to modify Canaday’s roofs, which were already angled toward the south at about 35 degrees. The existing roof proved to be...