Niagara University officially made its new $6.2 million 17-acre array operational after three years in the works, which has a peak capacity of 4 MW of power or 5.6 million kilowatt hours. It was built with the help of Tonawanda-based Montante Solar.
The array is located near the campus' southern entrance, features 7,500 panels, and will only provide power to campus buildings. Between the array and the electricity from hydropower received from the New York Power Authority, Niagara University now has a net zero carbon footprint.
"A campus like ours would easily produce tens of thousands of tons of CO2 per year," said Mark Gallo, biology professor and sustainability coordinator, calling the effort a big win for the area. "We mean it when we say that we are a sustainable campus. We're going to continue to build on these efforts."
The 7,500 panels that make up the array are on a single-axis tracker that follows the sun over the course of the day. If there are heavy wind events or a lot of snow, they can be in a safe stow mode to keep them safe.
"By being a self-tracking system, you gain about 15 percent to 30 percent in actual production," said Montante Solar Project Manager Jessica Fuchs.
The site was filled over the summer with various flowers underneath the panels that can support local wildlife and pollinators.
Pivot Energy, a Denver-based solar company, is the array's actual owner, having funded its construction. They are selling the power generated back to the university to cover those costs. This project is one of 20 they have across New York state, with several hundred completed nationwide and another three gigawatts worth of projects in development.
Besides just providing electricity for the campus, Gallo and the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., NU's president, said this array would be incorporated into a number of courses, ranging from environmental science to business, communications, and philosophy.
"One of the things that our new curriculum has gone into is environmental and social justice," Gallo said. "I think from that perspective, this sits really well with what we're doing here as a campus."
The panels have a lifespan of 25 years after which, per an agreement with the Town of Lewiston, they will be replaced or removed so the land can return to its original condition.
©2024 the Niagara Gazette (Niagara Falls, N.Y.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
