{"id":5868,"date":"2021-02-24T11:19:56","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T17:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=5868"},"modified":"2021-02-24T11:19:56","modified_gmt":"2021-02-24T17:19:56","slug":"uw-platteville-to-build-largest-state-owned-solar-array","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-platteville-to-build-largest-state-owned-solar-array\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Platteville to build largest state-owned solar array"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo
Existing solar array on the rooftop of Engineering Hall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville received state approval Thursday to construct a 2.4 megawatt solar array in Memorial Park. This will be the largest solar array owned by a Wisconsin state agency and will make the university the sixth-highest on-site producer of renewable energy among higher education institutions in the nation, setting UW-Platteville apart as a leader in its commitment to renewable energy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited to take this momentous step in our commitment to sustainability,\u201d said Chancellor Dennis J. Shields. \u201cThese efforts will save taxpayer money and have a lasting impact on future generations of Pioneers. I am proud that UW-Platteville can serve as a model of innovation and pave the way for other state agencies to follow suit.\u201d<\/p>\n

I am proud that UW-Platteville can serve as a model of innovation and pave the way for other state agencies to follow suit.\u201d \u2013Chancellor Dennis J. Shields<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Scheduled to be operational by fall 2021, the array will feed directly into the main electricity meter connected to the 32 campus buildings, generating all electricity in real-time, rather than sending back to the grid.\u00a0It is anticipated to offset electricity by 17%, saving an annual $217,000 and reducing carbon emissions by 2,300 tons per year.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
The new solar array will sit on five acres of south-facing hill just west of Pickard Hall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Plans for the solar array stemmed from a 2018 petition, signed by more than 300 UW-Platteville students, asking the university to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030. In a May 2019 student referendum, more than 82% of UW-Platteville students agreed with moving toward this goal. This array is one of several projects the university is advancing in response to this student demand.<\/p>\n

A project team explored several locations for the array, before deciding on five acres of south-facing hill just west of Pickard Hall. Rooftops and parking-lot awnings were ruled out due to cost and other ground mount locations required significant tree removal.\u00a0 A chain-link fence will surround the array, which will be installed with pilings. The array is expected to have a 30-year life, and is designed to accommodate future battery storage.<\/p>\n

In addition to energy savings, the solar array is poised to bring additional hands-on learning opportunities across the university. Faculty have already incorporated projects into their coursework. Students in a sustainable and renewable energy systems course helped design the initial project; dairy science students formed a plan for sheep grazing under the array; and reclamation, environment and conservation students developed a native pollinator seeding plan for the space.<\/p>\n

UW-Platteville offers a four-year\u00a0renewable energy<\/a>\u00a0degree that is one of only a handful of its type in the nation and recently launched a new environmental science and conservation degree. For more information about UW-Platteville\u2019s sustainability planning, including the solar array, visit\u00a0www.uwplatt.edu\/department\/sustainability<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville received state approval Thursday to construct a 2.4 megawatt solar array in Memorial Park. This will be the largest solar array owned by a Wisconsin state agency and will make the university the sixth-highest on-site producer of renewable energy among higher education institutions in the nation, setting UW-Platteville apart as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":5869,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[93],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-5868","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-platteville"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/5868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5868"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=5868"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=5868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}