F&S completed the renewal of our recognition as a Green Power Partner through the US Environmental Protection Agency. Green Power Partners of our scale now have to use renewable power for seven percent of their annual consumption, an increase from the previous requirement of three percent. Fortunately, the FY19 green power supply for FY19 was 7.28%. See attached file.
Tuesday, January 14th, Morgan White was welcomed by the Twin City Amateur Rado Club to share all there is to know about the University's first solar farm. She spoke on the process of getting such a project on campus, and the good news about a second solar farm that will be on campus by Winter 2020
The Cruze Barn was moved as part of the agreement with the Student Sustainability Committee for their funding support of the first solar farm. It was moved by Trillium Dell, and it is now located at 316 Leman Lane, Congerville, IL.
The Washington Post published an article on February 22, 2019, about how farmers are making the transition to solar based on current corn and soybean price drops, and the implications of that. Evan DeLucia is quoted in this article.
See attached or follow the link to read the article.
The Illinois News Bureau shared the solar farm news: http://illinois.edu/emailer/newsletter/159203.html.
The Solar Farm resumed full electricity production Thursday, January 25, after repairs to the site’s three inverters were completed. http://fs.illinois.edu/resources/newsroom/2018/02/01/solar-farm-back-online
Here's a neat idea for campus to consider, as we continue to look at options for ground cover under solar panels.
The Solar Eclipse had a notable impact on the Solar Farm today.
See attached story, published at https://www.tun.com/blog/university-of-illinois-student-funded-solar-farm/.
F&S will offer monthly tours of the Solar Farm on the first Friday of each month from July to December 2017, from 2 to 4 p.m. You can sign up to participate at https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/3893405.
In support of installing solar PVs at Parkland College, Morgan Johnston spoke to the Parkland College Board of Trustees, as requested by their VP of Institutional Advancement and Sustainability Coordinator. Ms. Johnston shared the benefits and lessons learned from the university's solar farm installation.
Morgan Johnston spoke to the CU Sunrise Rotary, providing a brief overview of the university's Climate Leadership Commitments, SWATeams, the Campus Bike Center, and the Solar Farm.
The Solar Farm system capacity is 4.68 MWac and 5.87 MWdc. Original materials produced before 2017 generally referred to the capacity as 5.87 MW, which does not match the industry standard of using the AC generation capacity. The correct figure to use is 4.68 MW, when sharing information about the Solar Farm on the UIUC South Farms.
In its first year of commercial operation from December 11, 2015, to December 10, 2016, the Solar Farm generated 7,284 megawatt-hours (MWh) of clean, renewable energy for the Urbana campus, successfully meeting expectations.
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2016-08-26/toms-mailbag-aug-26-20...
UI solar farm
“The solar panel field located near the corner of Windsor Road and First Street has become overgrown with tall weeds. Do the panels still work with that much foliage under and above them? Also, would hiring sheep or goats to ‘mow’ the weeds be harmful to the sheep or goat (heat from the panels)?”
The Office of Advancement hired Elite Air Productions LLC to create a video flyover of the new Solar Farm. The video can be seen at https://youtu.be/k7b-F0zCgxs.
F&S submitted an application for the 2016 Illinois Governor's Sustainability Award, on behalf of the Renewable Energy Program on campus and the Solar Farm. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is proud of its sustainability initiatives, and Facilities & Services (F&S) is honored to support the campuswide Illinois Climate Action Plan. One of the most important and challenging initiatives is a shift from conventional energy to a future of renewable energy.
Phoenix Solar’s maintenance contractor, Bay Four, has hired Rubilia, LLC to perform the vegetation control, starting June 8, 2016.
Construction of a 5.87 megawatt (MW) Solar Farm on campus is under construction, after university and state officials approved power purchase and land lease agreements with Phoenix Solar South Farms, LLC.
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.
