Even so, a spring 2003 survey conducted by REP suggests that the student body is receptive to the idea of a new termbill fee. About 69 percent of the more than 2,000 undergraduates surveyed said they would be “willing” to pay an extra $25 in room and board to allow for one-fifth of their residence’s energy to come from renewable sources.

A SECOND WIND?

Supporters of the referendum see it as a stepping stone to eventually deriving all of Harvard’s electricity—about 225 million kWh annually, according to the EAC—from renewable sources, and to encourage the creation of wind farms closer to Cambridge.

“I think that in the near future it’d be very feasible to see Harvard University on 50 or 100 percent wind power, but it’d be really great if it were local,” Beaudoin says.

To that end, Energy Strategist Mary H. Smith says the University may purchase a long-term commitment in a New England renewable energy source such as Cape Wind, a project to build a wind farm in Nantucket Sound. (The proposal is facing fierce opposition from many Cape Cod residents, who fear the offshore turbines would harm their ocean view.)

Looking even further ahead, some clean energy supporters hope to see the construction of Harvard’s own wind turbine on the new Allston campus, which is to be developed over the next decade.

In an e-mail, Harvard’s Senior Director of Community Relations Mary H. Power denied any “specific consideration” of an Allston turbine.

While the idea is a “cool” one, said Smith, the energy strategist, “I think at this time it’s a dream.”