The push towards solar technology and green power is far reaching and expanding at a very fast rate across the United States, particularly among colleges. These institutions are looking for any way to cut down on costs for a myriad of reasons and school administrations are starting by cutting down the electric bill by installing all kinds of various solar technologies.
A recent Washington Post blog post discusses the overwhelming number of colleges “pledging” to change their emission rates to show that they care about the environment. For instance, American University says it will be carbon neutral by the end of the next decade and the University of Maryland’s recycling rate has risen past 50 percent. Also, Johns Hopkins University is going to halve its emissions over the next 15 years. One school is going much further than these, according to the column.
Northern California’s Butte College has dubbed itself the only “grid positive” college in the United States by making more clean energy than it uses. The energy produced by the school is enough to power 9,200 homes, which is a remarkable feat. This is accomplished by placing solar panels all over the school’s grounds, on top of buildings, grounds and also carports, which we have discussed in this blog before. The press release from Butte College says that it will take a staggering 15,000 solar panels to complete the project, which is a serious commitment to green power.
Solar carports are being utilized by a plethora of institutions across the country, like colleges and businesses, to generate power for the facility they are placed near. These types of carports and solar panel additions are essential to make this country more energy efficient and less dependent on fossil fuels and other such sources of power.