New Jersey’s Rutgers University recently broke ground for a seven-acre solar energy farm on campus. Once completed, the installation would be the largest solar energy facility on any college in the U.S. (although Rutgers has competition there: Florida’s Gulf Coast University is eyeing a larger, 16-acre solar farm).
The solar farm is expected to generate 1.4 megawatts of electricity, enough to meet about 10 percent of Rutgers’ Livingston Campus (located in Piscataway) energy demands. By replacing “regular” electricity with solar power, the university also expects to reduce its annual carbon dioxide emissions by 1,200-plus tons.
By Ariel Schwartz •
August 18, 2008
The most efficient form of renewable energy may be right underneath us. Researchers at Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts announced today that they have discovered a method to use road surfaces for solar collection.
The key is using the plentiful heat absorbed by asphalt pavement. By experimenting with different asphalt compositions, the team discovered that heat absorption in pavement can be significantly increased with the addition of highly conductive aggregates such as quartzite. Heat exchangers could be placed a few centimeters under the pavement to collect and use solar energy.
The Sunshine State might have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to solar energy installations, but it’s now on a fast track toward big improvements.
The tide began turning when Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican with a strong environmental sentiment and an affinity for renewable energy, first took office. Then came the debut earlier this year of Florida’s largest solar array to date, a 250-kilowatt installment in Sarasota County.
And now comes the news that Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Ft. Myers has been singled out by state lawmakers for an $8.5 million allocation to build a 16-acre solar farm on its campus. While the funding still needs a final OK from Crist, who’s likely to approve, the money would help FGCU construct what would be the largest university-based solar farm in the world.
New Jersey’s Rutgers University recently broke ground for a seven-acre solar energy farm on campus. Once completed, the installation would be the largest solar energy facility on any college in the U.S. (although Rutgers has competition there: Florida’s Gulf Coast University is eyeing a larger, 16-acre solar farm).
