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Project Updates for collection: Campus Sustainability Tour
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Link to planting brochures
October 2020 construction progress
Associated Project(s):For this month's progress, the fence has been installed and the statistics are as follows:
191 rows with motors and partial torque tubes.
103 with all torque tubes and ready for panels.
79 rows of panels.
These numbers are included in each other, i.e., the 103 is included in the 191 and the 79 is included in the 103.
Thank you,
Sushanth Girini
Management Engineer,
Facilities & Services,
UES-Utility Distribution, UIUCWeekly Update: Abandoned bicycles, Sustainability Celebration
Associated Project(s):All,
Mike, a semi-regular at the old shop, walked in on Friday for his appointment, looked around and said, “What’d you have to do to get upgraded to such a nice spot?”
Just another positive review of our new space.
I coordinated with Parking to do more frequent pick ups—but smaller loads—of abandoned bikes, which should allow for a better flow of bikes in and out of the bike center. This should be more manageable for myself and my staff going forward, as well.This week is a Campus Sustainability Celebration on Tuesday, a CBC staff meeting Wednesday evening, and warm weather to close out the week, which usually equals some more traffic, but we’ll see if that holds during a pandemic.
The numbers:
Visitors: 14
Sales: $178.20
Memberships: 4 for $120
Misc parts: 4 for $40Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center ManagerSolar Farm 2.0 in F&S Quarterly Report
Associated Project(s):SOLAR FARM 2.0 CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY
Construction started on the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign’s Solar Farm 2.0 in August, with a commercial operation date expected for early 2021. The new 54-acre, 12.1 megawatt (MWdc) solar array is located north of Curtis Road, between First Street and U.S. Route 45, next to the Village of Savoy. Once completed, the solar farm will produce 20,000 MWh annually, almost tripling the university’s existing on-site renewable energy generation. Through a combination of utility-scale installations, integrated facility rooftop arrays, and wind power purchase agreements, clean power usage at the U of I will increase to more than 52,000 MWh per year, which is over 10 percent of the campus electrical demand. Faculty have already identified research projects that will use the Solar Farm 2.0 installation, primarily related to the pollinator-supportive plants under and around the panels.Weekly Update: Open hours sign, bikes pick up
Associated Project(s):All,
Last week I had an epiphany that we should probably have a sign on the door that lists our hours, even if they are appointment only. That’s in the works, should be ready tomorrow.
With the decrease in testing for grad/staff we’ve had to turn a few people away for not being up-to-date. They have, by and large, been totally understanding. A few people have emailed and canceled ahead of time, which is welcomed.Set up a secondary pegboard in the shop to better organize freewheel/cassette tools—it’s a vast improvement over the drawer and/or coffee can we’d been using before. Last week I grabbed the scrap metal bin, some miscellaneous parts, and Aquaham Lincoln. He’ll live atop the fridge.
This week I’ll coordinate with Parking to pick up a few bikes—only space for 3 or so—for instructional/teaching purposes with the new hires, schedule a staff meeting for my team, finalize placement for wheel hooks around the shop to increase storage.The numbers:
Visitors: 12
Sales: $747
Memberships: 4 for $120
Refurb bike: 2 for $430
Tire/tubes: 10 for $57Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center ManagerRed Oak Rain Garden Nears Completion with Award of Grants
Associated Project(s):Please see the attached file for a recent press release regarding the Red Oak Rain Garden and their awarded grants from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation.
Inovateus Solar included Solar Farm 2.0 in their newsletter!
Associated Project(s):Please see the attached newletter, published by Inovateus Solar, that includes a piece on the University of Illinois' Solar Farm 2.0.
Attached Files:Weekly Update: Refurbished bike swap, low numbers, signage
Associated Project(s):All,
Another week in the books! It’s definitely still an adjustment to be open only by-appointment. We’re still getting phone calls and emails about user error and whatnot when scheduling and we’re only seeing 4 or so people per day. But hey, it’s a pandemic. People are still going to the old shop—some internet search engines are not up-to-date but we do have signage over there. Ironies of all ironies since people couldn’t seem to find that tucked-away garage before and are now flocking to it, it seems.Had a refurb-swap of a loose cranked bike. Thankfully the gentleman wasn’t injured in the failure. He took a different same-priced bike. He was very understanding and that was appreciated.
Still working on upping our staffing levels to a comfortable number.
We’ve only done a handful of bike registrations, which either speaks to the cost-as-deterrence or that people are picking them up elsewhere. Hopefully the latter!
Still optimizing the layout and functionality of our new space but everyone who’s visited that was familiar with the old space has been blown away by the across-the-board improvements. I discovered a closet here that I didn’t know existed which now is storing the Bikes at Work trailer and the smaller kid-sized one. Aquaham Lincoln will likely migrate over here this week.The numbers:
Visitors: 21
Sales: $562.70
Memberships: 3 for $90
Bikes: 3 for $360
Tires/tubes: 1 for $1Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center ManagerWeekly Update: First week open, Light the Night
Associated Project(s):All,
Last week was our first full week of being open since the pandemic-induced shutdown. We are by-appointment only and making do with that. Visits, sales, and the like are—compared to normal—way down for this time of year.
We also had Light The Night last week and hosted one of the sites here at the Bike Center. It wasn’t as great a turnout as hoped but it was a new location for LTN and it’s a pandemic. We weren’t able to do our normal word-of-mouth publicity during open hours to the degree we’re accustomed. Thankfully we got some signage up at the old garage alerting people to our new location.This week we’ll work on optimizing the scheduling system, staff meetings, and safety checking a handful of bikes.
Visitors: 38
Sales: $951.50
Memberships: 1 for $30
Bikes (refurb): 5 for $790
Tires/tubes: 3 for $27Thanks!
Jacob Benjamin
Campus Bike Center ManagerSolar Farm 2.0 construction update from Sushanth Girini at F&S
Associated Project(s):The Solar Farm 2.0 construction is on schedule to be in service by 1/28/2021. Currently the project is installing approximately 4,400 posts in ground for the panel foundations. One of key objectives is to complete the Golden Row* by end of this month. Once the golden row is completed, inspected, and approved, the construction will be in full force to reach completion. The university is scheduled to perform routine inspections and capture all the underground equipment GPS points for reference. A recycling plan is in place, and the project is coordinating with F&S Transportation to collect the recyclable waste. The installation of a utility switch on the east side of the farm is complete.
Procurement: We have received all the racking equipment and about 80% of the solar panel on site. Transformers and inverters are scheduled to be delivered by end of Oct 2020.
~by Sushanth Girini, management engineer at F&S Utilities and Energy Services
* Golden Row - is a single row of solar panel constructed by the construction crew. Once the project make sure all the connections are good and row is as per design, it gets approved. It's like a start of what's coming. Like a movie trailer!
Red Oak Rain Garden: August 2020 update
Associated Project(s):Please see attached August 2020 progress report for the Red Oak Rain Garden, provided by Eliana Brown
Attached Files:Campus Bike Center has moved! Appointment only.
Associated Project(s):The Campus Bike Center has moved to a new location, and is planned to open on Sept 18 pending approval from the University! The new address is 51 E. Gregory Dr., Champaign, IL 61820. The shop is now open but only if you make an appointment.
Site visit with ISU VR Tour creators
Associated Project(s):Sol Systems and F&S hosted visitors from Illinois State University today, to initiate development of a Virtual Reality tour of Solar Farm 2.0. The intention is to develop a walking path that will be repeated by the camerawoman at four key timeframes this fall: post installation, tracker installation, module installation, and electrical installation.
Online camera to watch construction progress
Associated Project(s):Check out this online camera of the Solar Farm 2.0 site: https://app.oxblue.com/open/inovateus/northerncardinal.
Now we can watch it progress from our computer screens!
Fun times, Morgan
New Prairie Media article on solar farm 2.0
Associated Project(s):See attached article from a Solar Farm 2.0 interview with Morgan White.
Attached Files:Archived info - previous project description
Associated Project(s):Construction of a new 54-acre, 12.1 megawatt (MWdc) Solar Farm has been approved by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees as the sole member of Prairieland Energy, Inc. Referred to as "Solar Farm 2.0," the new utility-scale array will be located north of Curtis Road, between First Street and Dunlap Avenue in Savoy. Solar Farm 2.0 will produce approximately 20,000 megawatt-hours per year (MWh/year), nearly tripling the university’s existing on-site renewable energy generation. Completion of this project will then grant the University of Illinois with the title of being the third-largest user of renewable power generated on-site for all higher education facilities in the entire country.
Project Inception
In April 2017, the Energy Sustainability Working Advisory Team (SWATeam) recommended that to increase our campus’ generation of solar power, either an extension should be built onto the original Solar Farm or additional solar panels be installed across campus rooftops. From there, the idea of Solar Farm 2.0 was born. In November of that same year, the Sustainability Council approved the concept of this new solar farm, and a site selection was completed during spring 2018.
In the summer of 2018, after discussions with our neighbors in Savoy, the Chancellor’s Capital Review Committee approved the location, and a request for proposals was initiated. Different vendors from across the nation submitted proposals and various designs for this new solar farm, with nineteen submissions in total. By May of 2019, Sol Systems of Washington, D.C. was chosen to complete the project. A twenty-year contract was negotiated, and the overall project is on track to be completed by the end of 2020.
Project Overview
Sol Systems will be responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance for Solar Farm 2.0, and like Solar Farm 1.0, the Urbana campus will use all the generated power. The $20.1M contract is anticipated to save the university $300,000 in the farm’s first year compared to electricity purchased from the wholesale MISO market. Prairieland Energy will buy the solar energy at a fixed rate of $45.99 per MWh, while the University of Illinois will receive the associated renewable energy certificates (RECs) and the right to claim the use of clean energy.
Pollinator Habitat
Other innovative features of Solar Farm 2.0 include the incorporation of a pollinator habitat located beneath the panels. Indigenous plants will be planted throughout the farm to welcome local and migratory birds and insects. Specifically targeted towards butterflies and bees, Solar Farm 2.0 will be a welcoming environment for wildlife, as well as being a demonstration site for meeting the requirements of the Pollinator Friendly Solar Site Act. A landscaped buffer will also be included in the final design of Solar Farm 2.0, creating visual screening of the solar panels along the south edge of the farm bordering Savoy.
Campus Bike Center added as a Shield pick-up location - Available from August 24, 2020
Associated Project(s):Campus Bike Center (51 E Gregory Dr., Champaign, IL 61820. Phone number: 217-300-4638) was added as the Shield pick-up location. Sarthak Prasad dropped off 250 Shields at the location to be picked up by bicycle users. This location will be available for Shield pick up from August 24, 2020. Due to the pandemic, the CBC will only accept visitors who make an appointment beforehand, so please call in ahead to more information. The Shields will be distributed at the front desk of the CBC's new location.
We will replensih the Shields as needed.
Red Oak Rain Garden: July 2020 update
Associated Project(s):Please see attached July 2020 progress report for the Red Oak Rain Garden, provided by Eliana Brown
Attached Files:Campus Bike Center is moving!
Associated Project(s):The Campus Bike Center is moving to a new location! The move is currently in progress while the shop is closed due to the pandemic. The Campus Bike Center will re-open on August 24, 2020, and they will only accept visitors on appointments. You can call in ahead at 217-300-4638 or create an appointment online - appointment system is under development. We will share the online appointment link as soon as the system is ready.
The new address for CBC is: 51 E Gregory Dr., Champaign, IL 61820.