Tufts will begin installing a new solar panel system on the roof of Dowling Hall early next year.
According to Director of Facilities Technical Services Betsy Isenstein, the university has partnered with SunBug Solar LLC, of Somerville, to design, supply, install, operate and maintain the new system. The initiative is part of the Solarize Massachusetts (Solarize Mass) Medford program supported by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
Isenstein said the project supports the university's commitment to environmental sustainability.
"Tufts has been active in energy efficiency and other campus greening efforts for many years," Isenstein told the Daily in an email. "Participation in [Solarize Mass Medford] is our most recent renewables effort. We are excited to participate in the City of Medford's program and support its greening efforts."
According to SunBug Solar's Vice President of Commercial Business Lisa Raffin (E '85), Tufts entered into a 15-year purchase agreement with SunBug. The new energy will be cheaper than conventional power.
The panels will generate 125,000 kWh of renewable power for the university, Isenstein said. Raffin expects that construction will begin in the coming months.
"It should be this January that we get to see the actual panels," Raffin told the Daily.
Director of Energy and the Environment for the City of Medford Alicia Hunt, municipal representative for the Solarize Mass Medford program, believes the university's decision to add solar panels sets a positive example for the Medford community.
"We wanted to provide Tufts with opportunities to help their environment," Hunt said. "Tufts is very aware, so it is a natural partnership. They lead by example, which helps us get the word out to Medford about what is going on."
According to Raffin, Hunt initially identified Tufts as an institution interested in potentially going solar.
"I am really excited that Tufts has made this happen because it is a major contribution to the city," Raffin said. "This has helped to lower the cost of solar energy for the entire community."
Solarize Mass Program Director Elizabeth Kennedy explained that, as more homeowners and businesses in a local community contract for solar energy, the city is able to save more energy and lower costs. Tufts' decision to join in the movement will place Medford in the highest energy-saving tier.
"The fact that Tufts was able to contract under the program increases the contracting capacity for the City of Medford, which in turn benefits all homeowners and businesses that have contracted under the program," Kennedy said.
According to Hunt, Medford must consider both municipal buildings as well as private buildings in its campaign for renewable energy. Only three percent of Medford's energy and greenhouse gases are produced by buildings such as schools and fire stations - buildings under the city's direct control.
"If we want to make a difference for greenhouse [gas] emission, we need to find a way to impact the greater community," Hunt said. "We can't dictate what they should or shouldn't be doing, but we can provide them with opportunities to be environmentally sustainable."
By participating in the campaign, Tufts is helping to lead other members of the community in the movement for solar energy, Hunt said.
Raffin added that she is happy to see the collaboration between Tufts and its surrounding neighborhood.
"This is an example of the partnership between the City of Medford and the university," she said.
