The 5.87 megawatt (MW) Solar Farm will increase the generation of renewable energy on campus and help meet goals outlined in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). The Solar Farm will produce an estimated 7.86 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) the first year or approximately 2% of the electrical demand for the Urbana campus based upon usage projections for fiscal year 2015.
There are three buildings on the site of the future Solar Farm. The SSC requested that the Timber Frame barn be salvaged, rather than demolished. The company that is the preferred vendor for this work provided this detail:
The Student Sustainability Committee approved the Solar Farm funding of $1.05M over the course of three years.
The American College and University Presidents' Climate Committment picked up the UI Solar Farm project on twitter.
Channel 15 news interviewed Morgan Johnston about the UI Solar Farm. The news report showed on Channel 15 on Friday, November 09.
The News-Gazette had an article about the Board of Trustees approval of the Solar Farm.
Channel 3 news shared the story of the UI Solar Farm on TV and on the Illinois homepage website.
The Board of Trustees for the University of Illinois approved the purchase plans for the Solar Farm on Thursday. The next steps are to complete the Development Agreement, Land-Lease Agreement, and Power Purchase Agreement. Once these are completed, the Solar Farm vendor will begin the design and implementation of the Solar Farm at the southwest corner of Windsor Road and First Street. The entire site should be completed and operational by the end of 2013.
The Board of Trustees for the University of Illinois approved the Solar Farm purchase.
Jeff Bossert at WILL Public Radio interviewed Morgan Johnston about the Solar Farm. The interview was recorded and will be on the radio.
The News-Gazette published a follow-up article about the Solar Farm site selection. The article is online.
The News-Gazette contacted SSC members and F&S to get an overview of the Solar Farm project as discussed at the BOT Audit, Budget, Finance, and Facilities sub-committee meeting. The article is online.
It was also picked up by the Chicago Tribune, Danville Area Connect, I4U, as well.
The Student Sustainability Committee met with F&S and exchanged letters and draft letters before finalizing the funding approval for the Solar Farm. Some of the related files are attached here.
The Board of Trustees Audit, Budget, Finance, and Facilities subcommittee discussed the Solar Farm project, and agreed to bring it to the Board of Trustees for approval on November 8, 2012.
Due to the Board of Trustees meeting schedule, the SSC has agreed to do a straw-poll about the funding of the Solar Farm project at their upcoming meeting on Oct. 26, 2012. They requested a full proposal be submitted this week, for review by committee members this coming week. The submitted proposal and associated calculations are attached here.
As a follow up to the EcoCAT submittal for the Solar Farm, Jim Sims worked with Dr. Edward J. Heske and Torrey W. Rodgers, from the Illinois Natural History Survey, to arrange a field survey to check for Franklin's Ground Squirrel. None were found.
Within the RFP, we requested that any offer be valid for 120 days. However, this project will most likely go to the Board of Trustees in November, which would be beyond the 120 day period. Therefore, Kim Porter requested an extension from the Preferred Vendor, and they have agreed to hold the offer firm until the end of this calendar year (2012).
Jack Dempsey and Morgan Johnston from F&S met with Marika Nell (chair) and Mckenzie Beverage (program advisor) from the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC). This meeting was to give an overview of the Solar Farm project, and the anticipated funding needs.
The RFP for the Solar Farm included various options on the pricing proposal form. Kent Reifsteck confirmed that we will move forward with getting approval from the Board of Trustees for the option that includes all costs in the price per kilowatt-hour. This includes the full ten year cost of the Solar Farm installation, operations, and maintenance, and the cost to connect the installation to the campus electrical grid.
The preferred vendor, as identified through the RFP evaluation process, was asked to submit a Best and Final Offer (BAFO). This item was received and the campus will finalize exact funding plan.
