The 麻豆原创鈥檚 sustainability efforts will take center stage Friday and Saturday when clean-energy enthusiasts will tour solar power installations around Orlando.
麻豆原创鈥檚 main campus is a featured stop on a tour of residential and commercial sites from noon to 4 p.m. both days. The local tour was organized by the Florida Renewable Energy Association as part of the 20th Annual National Solar Tour conducted by its parent organization, the American Solar Energy Society.
On a national level, the tour exhibiting renewable energy technologies is the largest grassroots solar event in the country, with over 160,000 participants visiting 3,200 solar energy sites.
They鈥檒l have plenty to see at 麻豆原创, said David Norvell, the university鈥檚 assistant vice president for sustainability initiatives.
Among the featured stops on the 麻豆原创 campus are:
Solar power has become more economically feasible since the university installed the solar awning on the Engineering I building.
鈥淭hroughout this time, costs have gone from about $10 per watt in the early 2000s to 60 cents per watt now,鈥� Norvell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredible story about how technology has improved.鈥�
Solar energy is one tool in 麻豆原创鈥檚 quest to be a greener campus. In 2007, 麻豆原创 President John C. Hitt signed the American College & University Presidents鈥� Climate Commitment, making 麻豆原创 one of the first to pledge to be climate neutral by 2050.
To achieve that goal, the university must have no net greenhouse gas emissions. There are interim goals, including a big one already underway: ensuring that by 2020, 15 percent of the energy used by 麻豆原创 comes from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels.
鈥淲e鈥檙e reducing our emissions 鈥� that鈥檚 where this started,鈥� Norvell said. 鈥淏ut now solar is a very economically viable source of energy. It鈥檚 great when those two things come together.鈥�
The solar tour, which also includes several stops at homes in Orlando, is free and open to the public. The sites are the same on each day. Visit here for more information.