Solar Farm Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

With the November sun reflecting off 18,867 solar panels, Executive Director of Facilities & Services Al Stratman, welcomed President Timothy Killeen, Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson, Board of Trustees member Karen Hasara, and other project partners to celebrate the historic completion of the University’s first utility-scale solar array.

“Sustainability was at the core of the land grant mission originally and it has to be at the very core going forward,” said Killeen. In 2008, the University signed the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and two years later released the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) which outlines a path for the University to achieve carbon neutrality as soon as possible.

The Solar Farm “is part of our effort toward ensuring that the campus and the university are at the forefront of sustainable energy,” said Interim Chancellor Wilson.

Producing an expected 7.86 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) the first year or approximately 2% of the typical electrical demand for the Urbana campus, the Solar Farm is the largest solar array installed on any Big Ten University campus. With a 5.87 megawatt (MW) direct current nameplate capacity, the Solar Farm will be able to provide as much as 4.86 MW alternating current to the UI electrical distribution grid at any one time. The highest/peak electricity demand from last year (FY15) was 79.04 MW.

Read more at: http://fs.illinois.edu/resources/news-announcements/2015/12/01/solar-farm-completed