The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), a state development agency for renewable energy, approved a grant for $143,500.

“One of the things that drew us to the Harvard project was that it had strong education and public outreach components,” said Christopher A. Kealey, a spokesperson for MTC.

Kealey also said that the project has the potential to raise awareness among young people about what he called the need to switch from energy produced through the burning of fossil fuels to solar energy.

The remaining two-thirds of the price of the installation—about $250,000—was contributed by the Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI) through an interest-free loan.

Leith J. Sharp, director of HGCI, called the installation of the solar panel system “one of our most strategically important projects because renewable energy is such an important and challenging area to get the university to look toward.”

Following the state government’s approval of a grand proposal for the project, construction atop Shad Hall began in July.

“Phase Two”

Now that Robertson and Cook have completed the first phase of their project, they are trying to implement “phase two.”

Cook said that one of the most satisfying elements of the project was that it combined “classroom theory” with “real-world application.”

He said he and Robertson will meet with professors in various departments of HBS in order to push for the study of cases on “clean” energy.

The classmates hope more students pursue similar projects and they are offering to give away the proposals they wrote for free as a guideline for others to follow.

“I think that this is just the beginning,” Cook said. “I’m definitely proud that we were able to make a positive social impact, but I think so much more can be done.”