UToledo To Celebrate Expansion of Health Science Campus Solar Array

UToledo To Celebrate Expansion of Health Science Campus Solar Array

With the recent expansion of a solar array near the University of Toledo Medical Center, UToledo is more than doubling its capacity for solar energy production on Health Science Campus while creating opportunities for student learning and research.

The University will celebrate the completion of the project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24. The array is located along Main Technology Drive, and the ceremony is set to take place in the adjacent Parking Area 44E.

"This project is an exciting, real-world demonstration of the importance of the groundbreaking advances being made at First Solar and the strong connection to our work at the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization," said Dr. Michael Heben, a Distinguished University Professor and the Helen and Harold McMaster Chair and Director of UToledo's Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization.

"In addition to the economic and environmental benefits, this array serves as an educational asset for our science and engineering students, offering hands-on experience with commercial-scale renewable energy systems. I applaud the hard work done by the Student Green Fund, Michael Green, director of energy sustainability and energy efficiency at UToledo, Dr. Randy Ellingson, a Distinguished University Professor and Wright Center for Photovoltaics Endowed Professor, and our friends at First Solar for making this all happen."

The original installation has generated more than 2.6 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy since it came online in late 2020. When combined with a reduction in peak electrical demand, this translates to a total economic impact of nearly $275,000.

The expansion increases the nameplate capacity of the array from 330 to 750 kilowatts, more than doubling its expected annual electrical production. This annual electrical production is now estimated at more than $70,000, in addition to peak-demand savings.

As a student-driven initiative that benefits from cutting-edge technology donated by First Solar, the project reflects the power of student leadership, community partnership and research excellence at UToledo.

The array is the flagship project of the Student Green Fund, a committee of undergraduate and graduate students that administers the voluntary $5 fee that students are assessed each semester in partnership with UToledo's Office of Sustainability. The fund has supported numerous student-led initiatives since its establishment in 2017, including the installation of high-efficiency hand dryers in campus bathrooms and refillable water bottle stations in high-traffic buildings on Main Campus and Health Science Campus.

The Student Green Fund contributed $350,000 to cover the first-phase installation of the solar array and $530,000 to cover the second-phase expansion.

The array is also supported by First Solar, the solar technology giant with a significant footprint in Northwest Ohio and long-standing ties to UToledo. First Solar donated Series 5 modules for the first phase and now Series 6 Plus modules for the second-phase expansion.

First Solar specializes in a type of photovoltaic technology that utilizes cadmium telluride.

UToledo is a global leader in the research and development of cadmium telluride and other thin-film technologies. University physicists - including two who are credited among the most highly cited researchers in the world - routinely publish ground-breaking research that supports a broader distinction in materials science that positions UToledo among U.S. News & World Report's Best Global Universities.

"This solar array project has grown into a sustainable system that improves our campus utilities while supporting community electrical grid reliability," said Michael Green, director of energy sustainability and energy efficiency at UToledo. "It would not have happened without the Student Green Fund and First Solar. As we evaluate third-phase expansion, I look forward to working together to further sustainable systems development at UToledo."