College begins solar project this month

Chesapeake College will launch its solar energy project with a ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 3 pm, at the base of the campus wind turbine. The public is invited to this free event.

The college is working with SolarCity of California to develop the project, which will be built at no cost to Chesapeake’s student or the taxpayers.

The first set of solar panels, located at the base of the wind turbine, will feature two mounted panels and two tracking panels. The system will provide energy and serve as a learning module for the Center for Leadership in Environmental Education (CLEEn). By the end of May 2015, Chesapeake will also have a six-acre, two megawatt solar panel array on campus. College officials expect the solar project to cut campus energy consumption by 35 percent in five years. Over the 20-year contract, Chesapeake will see $100,000 in energy cost savings for each of the 20 years.

“This is a huge project for our campus,” said Vice President for Administrative Services Tim Jones. “The solar panels will be a great visual representation of the goals and policies of Chesapeake College. We’re located in an environmentally fragile area here on the Eastern Shore, so we think it’s important for the college to be good stewards and find new ways to promote sustainability.”

For more information about the ceremony , please email [email protected].