Q1: Students, faculty, & alumni want us to be 100% renewable or
carbon neutral by a certain date. Is that really possible?
The question is not whether it’s possible, because it is. Several colleges have achieved this goal already.
The real question is timing and how to accomplish your goal for your facilities and campuses. If a detailed
carbon-neutral plan hasn’t already been developed by the university’s sustainability officers, Inovateus’
experts can help develop the solar and energy storage portion of the plan and invite other energy
efficiency and carbon offset partners to create a comprehensive plan that’s tailored to meeting your
university’s net-zero goals.
Quickly getting to net-zero involves more than just installing solar. It often involves a combination of
purchasing carbon offsets (Renewable Energy Credits), purchasing energy-market wind power, and
funding off-site renewable energy projects that indirectly offset the institution’s carbon footprint.
Q2: What are the advantages of installing solar for the university?
First, many colleges are competing to attract students who are increasingly concerned about combating climate change. In fact, The Princeton Review published a 2019 green guide that ranks 413 colleges for their sustainability efforts. Installing at least some solar on campus and creating a carbon-neutral plan are the best way to visibly show students that your university is serious about preserving the environment.
Additionally, solar projects can resonate with the city and the community, especially when the institution has been generating its own power through an aging coal plant. Transitioning to solar shows students, faculty, alumni, and the city that the university cares about improving the health and environment of the campus and the surrounding area.
Third, a solar installation provides on-site educational opportunities for physics, math, economics, environmental science, law, engineering, and many more departments.
Q3: What’s the best way for a university or college to fund a solar installation?
By far, the most common and best way for colleges and universities to finance a solar installation is through a power purchase agreement (PPA). With a PPA, the university signs a 20 to 30-year energy contract with a solar developer that will install the systems at no upfront cost.
In return, the university will pay a competitive price per kilowatt-hour for the solar power generated by the system. In general, the new price per kWh is below the local utility’s rates, providing significant clean energy savings for 20 to 30 years.
If the institution prefers to own the solar project there are still many other financing options:
• Public universities can have their cities or state issue bonds or allocate funds through specific infrastructure legislations.
• Funds can be drawn from the colleges existing endowment.
• Similar to a building project, private alumni donations or a single patron can pay for the installation and the solar installation named.
• For nonprofit institutions that can’t take advantage of local and federal tax credits, a private limited liability corporation (LLC) can be formed by alumni that will own and operate the solar plant with the university paying the LLC an agreed-to price per kilowatt-hour.
Q4: Where should we install our university solar project?
To maximize a college’s clean energy offset, large parcels of land on or near university property are ideal. Perhaps even more important is that the potential solar site is close to sufficient utility infrastructure, such as a substation. Even if the property is miles away, utilities can often credit the university for the power generated by the solar arrays.
If nearby farmland or other university property isn’t available, colleges and universities still have many on-campus locations for solar installations. One of the most popular options is to build solar carports over existing parking lots, such as our 13.5 MWdc Michigan State University project. Solar carports’ advantages include maximizing existing space, offering shade during the summer, and providing EV charging for college EV fleets and visitors. Finally, carports are also prominent symbols of the college’s commitment to sustainability.
Another alternative to solar farms is installing solar on the rooftops of classrooms, auditoriums, cafeterias, and dorm buildings. The combined surface area of campus rooftops can offer suitable space for significant solar capacity.
If nearby land or buildings aren’t available or practical for technical reasons, some states allow nonprofits and for-profit institutions to invest in a dedicated solar project installed in another part of the state. Known as “community solar,” the institution can purchase a portion of a solar farm’s panels or generation capacity. Depending on various rules and regulations, the power generated will be credited to the college’s energy bill as if the panels were installed on campus.
Q5: How much will it cost for my university or college to go solar?
The total cost can be as little as zero dollars if the installation is financed through a solar power purchase agreement (PPA) or cost many millions of dollars, depending on the size and complexity of the system.
If you decide to purchase and own the system, the upfront capital costs will depend on many factors, including:
There are even more factors that contribute to or credit the final upfront cost, but the above are the
most important factors for any estimates.
Q6: Is it possible for my university to go off grid with batteries & microgrids?
Typical universities and colleges need so much power that it would be rare and prohibitively
expensive to generate and store enough solar power to go completely “off-grid.” Even the few
smaller colleges that are technically net-zero are still grid-tied.
Nevertheless, college campuses can install a combination of solar, batteries, and generators to power
critical loads when the grid goes down. These types of micro-grid projects are often designed when
college campuses are used as emergency shelter areas and require designated buildings to have
power in the event of a sudden blackout.
For these campuses, Inovateus can design micro-grid systems that maximize on-campus solar and
battery usage while the grid is online, saving on utility bills, while also powering critical buildings in
the event of a blackout. While resiliency and emergency shelter designations are usually subsidized
by local and state governments, they can still be costly to install.
Inovateus can design a solar system to be “storage ready”, which enables universities to add storage
at a future date when price points are more economical.
Q7: Will installing solar disrupt classes or university operations?
University operations and classes generally continue without interruption during installation
because many are sited on nearby farmland and unused plots of land away from students.
For those installations that are built over parking lots and campus roofs, construction can be scheduled
during summer months when most campuses are on hiatus. Similarly, while the recent COVID-19
epidemic is tragic, it may be an ideal time to consider installing solar before students return full time.
To the university or college presidents, we hope these seven questions and answers provide a foundation
for exploring solar opportunities on your campus with your facility and sustainability departments. Please
reach out to us at Inovateus if you have more questions or would like more details on how to create a
renewable energy transition plan for your school.
