What kinds of renewable energy systems does Furman have currently?
Furman has several solar installations on campus that serve both to produce energy and as opportunities for teaching and research on campus and in the community. Solar photovoltaic panels at Cliffs Cottage provide enough energy to offset all energy use in the building, and solar thermal systems at Cliffs Cottage and the Lay Physical Activities Center provide hot water for those buildings. In the Charles H. Townes Science Center, a new solar concentrator system is in the process of being installed. The concentrated energy will be directed to photovoltaic panels, and heated water will also be created as a byproduct of the process. In late 2009 Furman also received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that will allow the university to replace the aging HVAC heating and cooling system in the North Village student housing complex with an environmentally friendly and much more energy-efficient geothermal heat pump system. This system is projected to result in annual
