Goddard College has opened a new woodchip boiler plant that will carry hot water underground to heat 22 buildings across campus, replacing oil-burning boilers. The new $2.5 million boiler provides 3 million Btu and displaces roughly 50,000 gallons of oil by using local advanced wood heating.
The wood chips used will come from within a 30-mile radius and are a forestry byproduct. SRH Law has proudly provided years of permitting work for this facility, including zoning, an Act 250 application, and work on a 2014 Vermont Supreme Court appeal.
This project was 14 years in the making. Goddard aims to become carbon neutral in fuels burned on campus and electricity usage by 2020. Vermont has a statewide goal to reach 35% of our thermal energy needs from wood by 2030 and 90% renewable energy by 2050.
