Justin notified Joe Villanti and Jonathon Jakobsson that the InSPIRE solar powered table had been assembled. The anchoring and grouting are planned for October 16, 2021.

The full email is attached below.

Assistant Director of Student Sustainability, Samuel Yoo reached out to Sarthak Prasad for guidance with iCAP Portal projects. Specifically, Yoo was unable to find existing projects for the following:

- Diversion of Non-Recyclable Plastic using Pyrolysis Process to Produce Fuels for Campus

- Preventing Window-strike Bird Fatalities with Energy Efficient Window Decals 

- Valorized Archived Soils and Long-Term Carbon Budgets

Sarthak replied explaining that new project tabs will be created for the first two projects and the last project fits under the "Monitor Soil Health" project.

Cynthia Klein-Banai, Assistant Vice-Chancellor and Director of Sustainability at UIC, provided this summary of UIC's interest in Solar Farm 3.0:

"Rob Roman approached VC Coronado last fall about lending support to their efforts to amend the DUP in order to allow for renewable energy procurement, specifically through a Power Purchase agreement. The evaluation of the project was referred to the Office of Planning, Sustainability and Project Management and to Campus Utilities and Energy Services. It was determined that these groups were not only interested in supporting the amendment but also in participating in the RFP process to procurement 80,000 MWh/yr of renewable electricity through a Power Purchase agreement (aka Solar Farm 3.0) for a project in Illinois. On February 3, 2021, John Coronado, VCAS, Dave Taeyaerts, Associate Director of Planning, Sustainability and Project Management, and Cynthia Klein-Banai, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Sustainability met with Chancellor Amiridis to gain his approval for this. Chancellor Amiridis said he was supportive of both the amendment change and engaging in the RFP process together with UIUC."

From: Liv Clafford

Hi Professor,

My name is Liv and I’m with the University of Illinois Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Campus Action club. Illinois PIRG Campus Action is a student activist group working on important issues on campus like environmental protection, college affordability, non-partisan voter registration, and more!

This semester, we have in-person and virtual, internship and volunteer opportunities for students to learn valuable organizing skills and make a real difference in our community. 

Can we make a quick 5 minute announcement in your class next week? Please let us know if we are able to do this in person or virtually.

For the past 40 years we have been working on college campuses to amplify the power of student activism. We know students want to make a difference on important issues like banning single use plastics or making college more affordable. 

We’re looking for students who are passionate about these issues and want to put their knowledge into action.  We work with student interns and train them to run effective, strategic campaigns.  

If we are not able to make an announcement, can you send the information below to your students? 

Thanks so much for the help!

Liv Clafford

773-710-4089
lclafford at illinoispirgstudents.org

Kane County Department of Environment and Water Resources, Management Coordinator, Ivy Klee reached out to get some information about solar panels. Specifically, they are proposing a solar project that is across some residential homes. The residents of those houses have growing concerns about living across from an eight acre solar field due to potential radiation. Ivy wants to know if this is a legitimate concern and if there is any research on this subject. Professor and Director at the Grainger Center of Electric Machinery and Electromechanics, Philip Klein, explained that any electromagnetic radiation stems from inverters and wiring, not from the panels themselves. Certified residential inverters must meet FCC Class B limits (similarly to air conditioners and other residential appliances). The only potential concern is communications interference which has only been an issue when solar farms have been installed very close to aircraft navigation radars or military radars. For more information visit: http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy17osti/67440.pdf. 

Other information was shared regarding solar PV by Mechanical Engineering Emeritus Professor, Ty Newell:

-As homes electrify (heat pumps for comfort conditioning, heat pumps for water heating and heat pumps for clothes drying), along with EVs (Electric Vehicles), all solar energy (including wind) converted to electricity for powering our homes, buildings and vehicles is released back into the environment at exactly the same amount that was temporarily diverted to keep our food preserved, buildings comfortable, and providing transportation....unlike fossil (stored solar energy) that is an additional release of energy to the environment (along with a lot of other stuff)

-Every dollar removed from fossil fuel related electricity production creates 10 times more jobs in manufacturing and construction for building heat pumps, constructing solar and wind fields, and improving our buildings (~0.2to 0.3jobs per million$ of revenue for fossil fuel industry, similar to investment banks and health insurance companies versus 2-4jobs per million$ of revenue for jobs in manufacturing and construction...Fortune 500 data)

-Improving home and building efficiency will create a surplus of electric energy for a seamless transition to EV transportation

-EVs require about 200square feet of solar array (size of a garage car space) for 10-12,000 miles of driving per year

-The coal industry employs fewer people (less than 8000) in Illinois than the Univ of Illinois graduate each year.....clean energy and sustainable living technologies will provide those jobs