POWER October 2021 - 21

FOCUS ON O&M
Given all of the excitement and desire to
become greener and operate more sustainably,
prioritizing feedback and input
from Wellesley's key stakeholders, including
its student body, was a priority throughout
the entire planning process.
6. Construction on the new Central Utility
Plant at Wellesley College in Massachusetts
began in December 2020; the commissioning
phase began in May of this year. Courtesy:
Ameresco
College's new Central Utility Plant began
in December 2020 and entered its
commissioning phase in May 2021, in
time to be operational for the summer
season when electricity demand peaks.
Wellesley College's innovative approach
to upgrading its Central Utility Plant is no
surprise, as it's a progressive institution
highly regarded for its forward-thinking
sustainability goals. As Chakraborty noted,
the college has a goal of reducing campus
GHG emissions by 37% by 2026, as compared
to the institution's 2010 baseline.
Environmental Concerns
Student groups were especially keen
on finding ways to significantly reduce
the use of natural gas on campus. According
to a 2019 Porter Novelli/Cone
Gen Z Purpose Study, which surveyed
U.S. youth between the ages of 14 and
22, 87% of Gen Z expressed significant
concerns about the environment and
future of the planet. In an effort to better
understand the concerns of its key
stakeholders and find ways to actively
involve their input, Wellesley College
created a group called Power4Women
Task Force, which included students,
faculty, and board representatives, to
focus on planning future sustainability
initiatives for the institution.
These conversations resulted in the
development of the implemented solution
set, which aligned with the college's
priorities. Ameresco spoke with student
groups at Wellesley about the future of
the energy and the engineering industry,
and even brought two Wellesley students
on board as interns to work on the
project, as well as others. The project became
more than just the development of
a new energy system; it served as a tool
to educate students about the importance
of energy efficiency and sustainability,
along with outlining opportunities
for students in the energy industry.
The Wellesley College project provides
a model for making a campus more sustainable
through consideration of technical
applications and financial models,
with input from all interested parties-
including the student body. It enabled
the college to take a lead role in pursuing
a more sustainable future and showed
that replacing outdated equipment on
campus does not have to be a money pit.
Identifying energy-efficient solutions can
provide financial benefits to all stakeholders,
and in this case meeting the needs
of the campus including advancing the
college's sustainability goals. ■
-Michael Bakas is executive vice
president of Distributed Energy
Systems at Ameresco.
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POWER October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER October 2021