Good morning Morgan,

I have gathered the numbers that correspond to an acre of solar cover. 

The estimate is that an acre of solar canopy could generate 760,536 kWh annually (this estimate takes into account the weather patterns of our location and possible shading/system inefficiencies).  

I remember you saying that right now the University pays $0.05 per kWh.  Our solar farms are charged $0.045 per kWh that they generate.  This means that $0.005 is saved for every kWh generated.  That can be used to estimate that an acre of solar canopy would save roughly $3,800 per year.  

I thought that I would also include the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s estimate for what a solar retailer would charge per kWh of electricity in our area: $0.036.  This would mean that $0.014 could be saved per kWh on a solar canopy system, or roughly $10,650 per acre.  

Let me know what else I can find,

Ryan Day

Excerpt from the ECE building website:

"With the new ECE building the University is determined to achieve LEED platinum certification, and is striving for a net-zero energy design that will enable the building to supply all of its own energy. From a vast array of photovoltaic cells, to a chilled beam system to cool and heat the classroom tower, ECE wil accomplish a major campus addition with maximum space and minimal carbon footprint.

“This is no small achievement,” explains ECE Professor Phil Krein. “Currently the Department of Energy reports only eight net-zero energy buildings in the U.S., and the largest is only 14,000 square feet. To achieve this in a building nearly 20 times that size reflects the University’s sincere commitment to sustainable design while capturing the spirit of a department that’s always pushing the limits of technological innovation.”

In addition to its sustainable design, the building will incorporate many notable contributions of ECE faculty and staff, including the most recent LED and fluorescent lighting advances, energy conversion and systems that exploit new achievements in power electronics, and intelligent systems and interfaces that apply recent breakthroughs in computer technology. “In other words,” explains Krein, “visitors won’t just be entering the ECE building, they’ll be entering the ECE experience, enjoying the benefits of technology that had its genesis here.”

Per the executive summary report, "One goal of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) is reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. This is outlined in the Illinois Climate Action Plan, a proposal which also establishes a goal for annual solar energy generation. UIUC’s large energy demand poses an opportunity for implementing more cost-efficient renewable energy and increasing efficiency. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of a solar canopy system with electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at a UIUC parking lot. The goal of this initiative was to reduce campus emissions, save money, and use parking lots as a place to create renewable energy."