Earth Week at the University at Buffalo, featuring the Solar Strand,
3,200 solar panels generating 750 kilowatts
about 1,000 miles north of Valdosta State University.
Rutgers U. in New Jersey has 8 solar megawatts
coming from a parking lot.
If there, why not here? -jsq
My op-ed in the VDT today. Remember
to vote today or Tuesday.
-jsq
This spring,
the University at Buffalo turned on 750 kilowatts of
solar electricity.
Rutgers U., in New Jersey, installed 1.4
megawatts in 2009 and started on 8 MW this summer. Down here with a
lot more sun, how about solar panels on VSU parking lots?There’s
plenty of private solar financing available. Also in New
Jersey, a company installed 6 MW of solar on high school land and
leased the power to the school supplying most of its needs win-win.
You can go see a solar farm already working fine here,
200 kilowatts at Mud Creek Wastewater Plant.
Why not do the same
View Larger Map
at Lowndes High School, where all the world on I-75 could see,
attracting business to our community?
Why not?
This spring,
the University at Buffalo did it,
and now
Rutgers is doing it:
installing solar arrays for power and profit.
Rutgers is in New Jersey,
the #2 state in solar power.
We have a lot more sun down here.
How about we catch up and get ahead in solar power,
starting with VSU?
Brita Belli wrote for ecoemagination 25 September 2012,
Renewable U: College Campuses Invest in Renewable Energy
Over the summer, crews at Rutgers University's Livingston Campus
began transforming a 32-acre, 3,500-spot parking lot into one of the
largest solar canopy arrays in the nation. The array will have a
capacity of 8 megawatts, enough to power 1,000 homes.The canopy is more than just eco window dressing — Antonio
Calcado, Rutgers vice president for facilities and capital planning,
expects that with the financing structure, grants and energy
credits, the investment will return about $28 million to the
university over the next 20 years. A previous solar project had a
similarly rapid payback.“Combined with the electricity we produce, it's a winner all
around,” says Calcado. “We're an institution of higher
learning—we teach this stuff—so we should also lead by
example. It's a living laboratory in many respects.”
Lead by example: now there's an idea!
An idea that might even attract businesses.
-jsq
