![]() ![]() Unlike the Quad’s system, Blackstone’s boilers bring the steam to much higher pressure – 400 pounds per square inch – meaning that the temperature of the steam is also higher – 450 degrees. ![]() ![]() But inside, it’s home to four natural-gas boilers, a turbine, and a machine that produces heat and power concurrently, surrounded by a maze of silver pipes, chains, and beams. Kimįrom the outside, Blackstone appears sleepy and peaceful. The towers of Blackstone Steam Plant rise above Memorial Drive. At the core of the maze are three boilers, each about 12 feet tall. Pipes intersect, twist, and snake in and out of view brightly colored “danger,” “warning,” and “caution” signs stick out. At the bottom, the rough concrete walls give way to a hot labyrinth of rusty metal and dirty concrete. Sabbio, a maintenance operator for the University’s Campus Services, down a narrow corridor under Moors Hall.ĭucking under a low ceiling, Sabbio leads us down a rickety metal staircase. On a crisp September afternoon, we follow John P. The first place we look for answers to these questions is the basement of Pfoho. The University faces a steep challenge, because reaching its goalst depends not only on increasing energy efficiency and remaking campus infrastructure, but also on the makeup of the larger Massachusetts grid, which does not share its fossil fuel-free goal.Īs the 1.7 trillion tons of carbon dioxide emissions sitting in the atmosphere - more than a quarter of them from the United States - dramatically, painfully remake our world, Harvard’s institutional position as a global leader on climate change, both in decarbonization goals as well as its research and education, will only become more important.Īs climate change accelerates, the University must grapple with difficult questions: Are the administration’s ambitious climate goals the right way for Harvard to lead? And is it even within the University’s control to meet them? Though Harvard has decreased greenhouse gas emissions by about 29 percent over the last 16 years, its carbon footprint remains gargantuan: the University emitted the equivalent of 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2021, according to data released by the Office of Sustainability - roughly 14,000 times the average American’s annual carbon footprint. It’s also a system that will have to change if the University is to meet its ambitious climate goals: fossil fuel neutral by 2026, and fossil fuel-free by 2050. From tours of the infrastructure, conversations with facilities workers and administrators, and many, many emails, a portrait of a deeply complex system emerged - one at once modern and old-fashioned. We set out to uncover and understand the system that keeps Harvard running - from heating and cooling to electricity. ![]()
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