Construction has begun at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., on a 2.9 megawatt solar energy project that will provide enough electricity to provide about 10 percent of the institution's energy needs.
The project will produce clean, renewable and sustainable energy and enable the college to lower its energy costs and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
The installation, which is expected to be completed by summer, will have an array of more than 9,000 solar panels on 15 acres of land in Seneca, N.Y., about 40 miles from campus.
The college projects that the panels will generate about 3.55 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in its first year of operation—the equivalent of powering 500 average-sized homes in New York. The solar panels will offset 888 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents annually, which is comparable to taking 187 cars off the road.
The project received funding through the state's $1 billion NY-Sun initiative, which is designed to build a self-sustaining solar industry in New York and help move the state toward its goal of having 50 percent of the electricity generated in New York come from renewable sources by 2030.
