from Guilford College Press Release: http://www.guilford.edu/about_guilford/news_and_publications/releases/solarpanels.html
March 16, 2010
– Guilford is partnering with FLS Energy to install 188 solar thermal collector panels on up to eight of its buildings to create 9,000 gallons of heated water a day. According to FLS Energy, it is the largest solar thermal energy system project ever installed on a U.S. college or university campus.
This summer, the solar thermal energy systems will be installed on Founders Hall and several residence halls. The project follows a 12-panel solar thermal system installation on Shore Hall in 2007 that resulted in lower energy bills and a measurable drop in carbon emissions at the college.
The solar hot water project is expected to begin in April and be completed by August, in time for Guilford’s Year of Sustainability in the 2010-11 academic year.
“I am very proud to announce that Guilford is taking a leading role among college and universities nationally with the installation of solar collection panels on buildings across our campus,” said President Kent Chabotar. “This is another in a series of steps we have taken to reduce college costs and sustain the natural environment in which we study, work and live.
“Guilford’s core values of justice and stewardship speak to ways in which we use Earth’s resources responsibly and make decisions to ensure the long-term survival of the college,” he added. “With this project, we are honoring our commitments to environmental and financial sustainability. Moreover, we are setting an example for others to follow.”
“Guilford is raising the solar bar for all colleges and universities across the nation,” said FLS Energy’s Director of Finance Brownie Newman. “FLS Energy is proud to be a part of the greening of Guilford.”
FLS Energy is financing the solar thermal project at Guilford through its Solar Energy Purchase Agreement. “Guilford paid nothing up front and will begin seeing energy savings immediately,” added Newman. The college plans to pay back the installation costs of the solar panel project from a portion of the annual savings in energy costs.
The solar project, which will be metered, comes with a performance guarantee from FLS Energy of the amount of solar energy that will be generated each year. Duke Energy is purchasing renewable energy credits from this solar energy system to meet North Carolina’s renewable energy mandates. FLS Energy will also be responsible for all maintenance of the system.
“Guilford’s commitment to sustainability is reaffirmed with the installation of solar panels on up to eight buildings on campus in the coming months,” said Jon Varnell, Guilford’s vice president for administration. “The college strives to be a leader in stewardship of the environment and of our own resources. The utility cost savings from this initiative over time will be substantial. But more importantly, we are putting our values into practice.”
In 2007, President Chabotar was one of the first college presidents in North Carolina to sign the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment and to pledge goals for a carbon neutral campus. The Shore Hall solar hot water system was one of the first initiatives adopted under the commitment.
Guilford’s sustainability commitments also include the half-million-dollar refurbishing of Archdale Hall, the oldest building on campus, which earned Silver Certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2008.
The college received a 95 “green” rating for its environmental sustainability commitments—the third-highest rating among North Carolina colleges and universities—from The Princeton Review in its 2010 best colleges guidebook.
FLS Energy is a leading solar energy company with the mission of establishing solar as a mainstream technology. FLS Energy provides planning, design, technology, installation and financing solutions to provide its clients a hedge against rising energy costs and a clean source of energy. Projects range from one of the largest solar hot water systems in the nation atop the LEED Platinum-certified Proximity Hotel, to a four-acre solar farm to provide electricity to the grid.
