The Student Sustainability Committee commissioned a solar photovoltaic study to determine viable buildings for the installation of solar arrays. The new solar arrays would complement the existing 3,700 square foot Solar PV array located atop the Business Instructional Facility that produces approximately 55,000 kWh/year and help define the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign as a leader in the greening of campuses nationwide.

The University of Illinois’ Business Innovation Services (BIS) was the organization selected to manage the project. Throughout the project, BIS solicited input from the following organizations on campus:

• Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
• Facilities and Services (Planning, Sustainability Coordinator and Utilities and Energy Services)
• University Housing
• Urban and Regional Planning
• Independent Experts on solar system design and implementation

Identifying appropriate locations to install the solar technologies was completed according to the following criteria: visibility to members of the university community, building/constructability characteristics, and net energy benefit to the university. Initially building rooftops with proper north-south orientation were investigated for the solar arrays. However, as the project moved forward, it was determined that additional solar powered structures would be considered as well, including:

• Parking structures
• Solar awnings on south-facing buildings
• Solar kiosks/gazebos