ΒιΆΉΚΣΖ΅ at Trumbull is one of six ΒιΆΉΚΣΖ΅ regional campuses adding solar panels this fall.
The Trumbull solar array will provide clean energy representing about 65 percent of campus use. It is enough energy to power 197 homes and eliminate 1,284 tons of COβ per year.
Last fall, ΒιΆΉΚΣΖ΅ and Ten Nine Energy agreed to a power purchase agreement (PPA) over 25 years. In return for purchasing solar power, ΒιΆΉΚΣΖ΅ campuses pay no out-of-pocket expenses for the panels and installation.
It is estimated that the campus will save over $24,000 the first year and more than $1.3 million over 25 years. ΒιΆΉΚΣΖ΅ will save more than $6.3 million over 25 years.
βThis is a win-win for the campus and the community,β said ΒιΆΉΚΣΖ΅ Trumbull spokesperson, Bill Burgess. βWe will save money, help improve air quality, and possibly add some educational opportunities.β
Pollinator prairie flowers will be planted throughout the solar array, yielding both natural beauty and a refuge for native honeybees, butterflies, and other pollinators that will help restore balance to the ecosystem. This area of native perennial plants has the potential to become a living laboratory for further environmental, biological, and botanical study.
Similar projects are underway at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Kent, Salem, and Stark.
Project completion is estimated for Spring 2021