Liberal Arts College to Build Huge Solar Roof
The College of Wooster – a liberal arts school in Wooster, Ohio -- is gearing up to install the largest solar rooftop installation on any college facility in the country.
The 20,000 square foot solar roof will be constructed on the campus’ student recreation and athletic facility, The Scot Center. It will generate 271,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year, enough to power one of Wooster’s student residence halls.
"For the last three years we have been getting progressively better organized, more ambitious, and more serious about modeling sustainability practices that the larger society might adopt," said Grant Cornwell, Wooster’s president, in a statement. "Today we take a dramatic and exciting step forward on that road."
Renewable energy company Carbon Vision will install and own the solar installation, and lease it to the college, which will purchase all the power generated for a period of 12.5 years.
The company will apply for federal and state grants and federal tax credits to defray the costs of the solar installation, and sell the renewable energy credits associated with it during the term of the lease. At the end of that term, the college will receive the title to the solar installation, which has a life of up to 40 years.
The Scot Center will open in January 2012.
