Three years later: How is this Ohio university’s solar array performing?

Cedarville University made a bold choice (at least in Ohio) to install a solar array three years ago — still the largest to be directly connected to any university in Ohio — and it has made a significant environmental and financial impact through these first three years of operation.

Throughout its lifetime the solar array has produced more than 7,600 MWh of energy, which has led to an overall reduction of more than 4,500 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). That amount of CO2 is enough to offset nearly 675,000 gallons of gasoline burned.

But get this (are you listening Governor Kasich and First Energy?): The solar array was initially designed to be a break-even project from a financial standpoint, but the University has saved more than $64,000 in electricity costs due to the solar energy system. Over the past 12 months, the solar panels have produced approximately 13 percent of the University’s total electrical power.

RELATED: PV in schools: Education sector is one of solar’s best opportunities 

Cedarville’s solar power system sits on 10 acres of land on the southwest edge of campus and was developed and installed by Cincinnati-based Melink Corporation. Melink works with companies, government agencies and other clients, including nearly 100 colleges and universities, to develop green energy solutions.

As part of the project, Melink installed a touch-screen display outside Cedarville’s admissions office in the Stevens Student Center. The display shows visitors real-time statistics about the effectiveness of the solar power array. So, in addition to the environmental and financial benefits, the system has served to help further the education of Cedarville’s engineering students. Several engineering classes have studied the solar array as part of their curriculum.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,711 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 100 areas of study.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: http://solarbuildermag.com/news/three-years-later-how-is-this-ohio-universitys-solar-array-performing/]