51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ

Aerial view of the Petersen Events Center, with rooftop solar panels
Earth Month

New rooftop solar installations are springing up across campus

Tags
  • Our City/Our Campus
  • Sustainability

There’s plenty of new construction underway across Oakland. And some exciting projects may have gone over your head — literally.

Multiple rooftop solar power arrays are being installed across the 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵsburgh campus in support of the . These installations contribute to 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ’s goals of producing or procuring 50% renewable electricity by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2037.

Already in 2024, solar panels were installed atop the Petersen Sports Complex, and more are being added to Ruskin Hall, Posvar Hall and David Lawrence Hall. The combined 1.08 megawatts of arrays will produce around 1,128,680 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity a year — the equivalent of powering 61.5 homes or removing 109 cars from the road.

Among the installations, Posvar Hall’s rooftop solar array will become the University’s largest, at 650 kilowatts (kW); David Lawrence Hall’s solar will total 170 kW, the Petersen Sports Complex is 68 kW and Ruskin Hall will be 143 kw, along with being 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ’s first residence hall to sport solar. This expansion bolsters rooftop solar use on the 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵsburgh campus, which previously had limited arrays atop Benedum Hall.

Additionally, many buildings in design or under construction will include solar on their roofs, including the , Fifth and Halket building, and .

51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ’s new solar arrays will supply electricity directly to each building they reside on, decreasing the electricity the University needs to purchase. Once the solar panels are up and running, 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ Sustainability dashboards will be available online to show how much each array is producing.

To determine locations, the Facilities Management team assessed campus building roofs to determine the potential for rooftop solar use at each location. When the University re-roofs existing buildings to maintain them, the opportunity for installing solar panels is also considered.

51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵsburgh-based installer EIS Solar is providing the new solar arrays, using bifacial solar modules — which produce power from both the front and back — and power optimizers to harvest the sun in the most efficientÌýmanner. In addition, the arrays use U.S.-made racking systems and electrical components. Minority-owned firm is installing the systems in partnership with 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ.

Rooftop solar power is a visible, high impact solution to reduce carbon emissions, and is just one avenue by which 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ is pursuing solar energy. The largest contributor to 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ’s renewable energy journey is the University’s partnership with the 20 megawatt Gaucho Solar Farm near 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵsburgh International Airport, which came online in June 2023. The University also committed to purchasing local, renewable power from the future hydroelectric plant along the Allegheny River.

in the University’s rooftop solar use, which was recognized this week by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration with a . The array started producing solar electricity in March 2023 and has produced 120,000 kilowatt hours since then — the equivalent of powering 6.3 homes for a year. Students in 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ-Bradford’s Energy Science and Technology program led the development of a new dashboard for this array last year, documenting real-time electricity production and carbon emissions avoided.

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In recognition of 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ’s sustainability achievements, AASHE honored the University with a for the second time in 2024. 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ also received a PA Solar Center for its solar energy leadership.

The details key strategies to reduce campus-wide energy use, help the 51¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ community make more active, shared and low carbon connections; and reinforce behaviors to reduce carbon emissions, working together to make a difference for people and the planet.

Learn more about , including solar.

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— Melanie Lippert, photography by Tom Altany