Decarbonization Home

WILLIAMS COLLEGE CAMPUS DECARBONIZATION

Williams College has been purchasing carbon credits since 2020 to offset its annual assessed greenhouse gas emissions. Recognizing that carbon neutrality, with the help of carbon credits, is not sufficient, the college has reduced its own emissions by:

We have now embarked on our most ambitious and transformative journey yet: reducing stationary scope 1 and all scope 2 emissions by at least 80% compared with fiscal year 1991.

This website tells you how we are planning to do it.

 

What will "decarbonization" look like on the Williams College campus?

Transforming the way the campus heats, cools and provides hot water to buildings is a big undertaking. For over 100 years the college has relied on a central plant that burned oil, now natural gas to generate steam, which is sent to buildings through approximately three miles of underground pipes. While the plant operates very efficiently (it also generates electricity for the campus during the colder months), transitioning away from fossil fuels and inefficient steam requires an entirely different approach consisting of four main components:

An Upgraded Electrical System

To support current buildings and the transition to their low-carbon operation, campus-wide electrical upgrades are required to modernize infrastructure and increase capacity. These upgrades include a campus conversion to 13.8kV, two new switching stations, underground cables and duct banks, new building transformers and back-up generators.  Investing in these upgrades will make Williams College more resilient and future campus development more flexible. 

Clean Energy Sources

The campus sits partially on top of the Confined Aquifer District of the Town of Williamstown. Following three unsuccessful vertical geothermal test wells, we have ruled out the development of two proposed vertical geothermal heat storage and exchange fields. We are now assessing the feasibility of a horizontal geothermal system located beneath our athletic fields on the north side of campus. Due to somewhat lower efficiencies, such a geothermal system would be supplemented with air source heat pumps.

New Energy Distribution

Transporting energy in the form of low-temperature hot water from geothermal wells and air source heat pumps requires an energy distribution center, aka a District Energy Plant, and the installation of new piping that will ultimately replace the existing steam lines. Where possible, these thermal utilities will run in parallel with the new electrical lines and fan out to the majority of buildings on campus. 

Building Upgrades

Some of Williams’ buildings are more than 100 years old and many were built to earlier building codes with lower energy efficiency requirements. Connecting these buildings to the low-temperature hot water system will thus require building upgrades, especially to insulation, envelope and HVAC systems. This will be a gradual process and begin with several residence halls. In addition, we will continue to invest in energy efficiency and conservation efforts across all existing buildings and all new construction going forward will be designed to accept 140 degree water or lower.

A phased Approach

We will implement the four components across campus in several phases.

 

Phase 1

Upgrade of campus electrical systems to medium voltage

This is a critical enabling project for decarbonization, the upgrades will also support electrical power needs for other projects such as the Multipurpose Recreation Center and Dining Services. Having the campus on medium voltage electricity will also enable increased on-site back-up power generation and thus campus resiliency.

 

Thermal utilities installation in portions of the North District

This work entails laying the pipes that will bring low temperature hot water and chilled water to residence halls.

 

Construction of a new District Energy Plant

To facilitate the generation and distribution of low temperature hot water to buildings in the North District, we will construct a new District Energy Plant. It will house the heat pumps and other infrastructure.

 

Renewal of select buildings in the North District

We will identify the first buildings, likely residence halls, in the North District that will be renovated and converted to accept low temperature hot water. Other buildings that don't need to be upgraded will be connected to the system directly.

 

Phase 2

Ultimately to achieve 80% reduction goal, the remainder of the campus, in particular the science and the athletics complex, will need to be converted to low temp hot water as well.  The solutions have not yet been determined.