Panel installation and work associated with connecting the 5.87 megawatt (MW) Solar Farm to the campus electrical grid is currently underway.
The solar farm is part of a power purchase and land lease agreement with Phoenix Solar South Farms, LLC and is expected to reach substantial completion in December.
Once installed, the Solar Farm will be one of the largest on-site university arrays in the country, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency statistics, producing 7.86 million kilowatt-hours per year, or approximately two percent of the electrical demand for the Urbana campus in fiscal year 2015.
In 2008, the chancellor signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, pledging to be carbon neutral by 2050. As a part of this commitment, specific goals for energy conservation and renewable energy were outlined in the 2010 Illinois Climate Action Plan. The Solar Farm will contribute toward the renewable energy used on campus for at least twenty years.
Post time: Jul-12-2017