The Villanova University College of Engineering unveiled a new Solar Electric System comprised of 24 180-watt crystalline silicon solar panels atop its Center for Engineering Education and Research last week.

The output from the five-foot by two-foot solar panels is conditioned to provide high quality AC power for the building using an inverter. The panels will provide up to 4,000 watts of power to offset utility-supplied power for the CEER building.

“The installation of the solar panels will play an important role in enhancing undergraduate and graduate research and teaching,” said Gary Gabriele, Dean of the Villanova University College of Engineering. “The panels also complement the College of Engineering’s already substantial presence in work on environmental sustainability.”

This Solar Electric System is the University’s first renewable energy source to provide clean, pollution-free power on campus. Funded by a $15,000 matching-grant provided by The Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern Pennsylvania and supported by PPL, the project will help train Villanova students in the design and installation of solar electric systems. Five Villanova electrical engineering students were involved in the initial phase of the project.

Villanova University is one of only six colleges and universities supported by the Solar Scholars Program. Solar Scholars is an innovative solar energy educational program created by the Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern Pennsylvania, designed to provide college students and faculty a unique hands-on exposure to the application of solar technology as a renewable energy source. Other members of the six-college coalition in this solar-energy initiative include Penn State University, Bucknell University, Clarion University, Messiah College and Mercyhurst College.

“The SEF is proud to assist Villanova University in the implementation of this unique renewable energy training program,” said Jennifer Hopkins, President of SEF. “Solar Scholars was a very competitive grant competition, and Villanova’s existing sustainability focus contributed to winning this award.”

Villanova is firmly committed to issues of environmental sustainability. Last May, the University’s president, Father Donohue, signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.

The ACUPCC is dedicated to the critical research and education needed to end global warming. Two buildings on campus, a new College of Nursing and a new School of Law, are being built according to LEED-certified specifications. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—LEED—Green Building Rating System, developed by the United States Green Building Council, provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

11/23/2007