by Ann Withanee — October 26, 2011—Standard Solar, Inc., a national provider of full-service development, installation and financing of solar electric systems, has begun construction on a solar canopy electricity installation at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. The 118 kW project, which is slated to be completed by the end of the year, will be installed by Standard Solar and owned and operated by Secure Futures, and is expected to supply the University with clean, renewable energy for at least the next 20 years.
The use of solar energy is a widening movement that affects its users, the community, the total environment, and the future. Washington and Lee University president Kenneth P. Ruscio expresses the institution’s commitment this way: “This is another instance of how we are aligning our institutional practices with what we preach to our students about their duties as responsible citizens and their obligations to future generations.”
Once complete, the solar canopy installation, together with other solar arrays at the University, will comprise the largest solar installation in the state. The University’s move to solar energy complements the numerous sustainability initiatives Washington and Lee has undertaken to date across its campus. The canopy system is expected to generate 166,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually and will eliminate approximately 114 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in its first year of operations, which is equivalent to planting 25 acres of trees.
The system to be built atop an existing University parking structure includes 540 Sanyo-manufactured panels and will feature a complete monitoring system for the PV facility that will collect live data from the solar panels, such as electricity generated, solar irradiance, PV cell temperature and ambient temperature. All of the data will be accessible on a Web site that will display system photos, historical electricity production data, carbon offset equivalencies and custom reporting capabilities.
The system is made possible with financing through Secure Futures, with whom Washington and Lee has entered into a 20-year power-purchase agreement to buy the solar-generated electricity.
Washington and Lee University, the nation’s ninth-oldest institution of higher education, is among the nation’s premier liberal arts colleges and universities.
