The University is planning to create a new thermal energy system, with its central hub located in a 14,000-square-foot expansion of Page-Robinson Hall, Vice President for Facilities and Campus Operations Michael Guglielmo and Assistant Vice President for Sustainability and Resiliency Jessica Berry shared in a Wednesday Today@Brown announcement. The system is one part of a broader University initiative to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
The hub, which received authorization from the Brown Corporation’s Committee on Budget and Finance in late May, is projected to begin construction in 2028 and be completed by 2030, the announcement added. Page-Robinson Hall is expected to remain open during construction.
The system “will build on our progress to date and reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by an additional 8% to 10% while laying the groundwork for future electrification and progress toward our 2040 net-zero goal,” Guglielmo and Berry wrote.
Through projects such as the Dry Bridge solar farm, the University successfully achieved its goal of cutting emissions by 75% from 2017–18 levels by 2025 as verified by a third party, the announcement added.
According to the announcement, the new heating network will eliminate one third of underground piping, as well as “deteriorating piping” that carries heat from the current heat plant to the Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences — from where heat is supplied to most buildings on campus. The existing heat plant will be used solely for the Erickson Athletic Complex while Sidney Frank will be outfitted with heat recovery systems, which helps recycle energy.
The University will “coordinate closely” with community members who will be temporarily impacted by the construction, the announcement read.
“From a financial standpoint, the program will enable us to implement a sustainability measure with significant environmental benefits for approximately the same annual cost it takes to maintain the aging infrastructure of Brown’s high temperature hot water system,” Guglielmo and Berry wrote.
Ian Ritter is a university news and science & research editor, covering graduate schools and students. He is a junior concentrating in chemistry. When he isn’t at The Herald or exploding lab experiments, you can find him playing the clarinet or watching the Mets.
