Solar panels on the Union

Project Timeline: 2014 – 2015

Project Highlights:

• 20kW, 64 panel system
• 24,000 kilowatts of power produced annually
• Offsets 33,000+ vehicles miles driven or 33,000+ lbs of burned coal

Project Description and Approach:

In 2015, the Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee, Strata Solar, and SMA America partnered to install a bank of solar panels on the roof of the Union. This successful project was the result of a long history at Carolina of students successfully campaigning to make the University more sustainable.

The 20kW, 64 panel system produces 24,000 kilowatts of power annually, enough to offset more than 33,000 miles driven by vehicles or 33,000-plus pounds of burned coal.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the solar panels, Winston Crisp, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs said, “There is no feeling better in higher education, than to see students who are creative and innovative and they figure out on their own how to make something happen and then see it come to reality.”

The solar panels are only visible from the top floors of Davis Library, so it would be easy for students to walk past them every day without noticing this state-of-the-art renewable energy source on their campus. A smart TV in the Union interacts with the panels and reports energy generation and emissions reductions in real-time.

Read more:

http://respc.web.unc.edu/projects-2/solar-panel-system-on-the-student-union/