SDSU STUDENTS SET SOLAR AS A TOP PRIORITY
Students Make a Splash with their Recent Solar PV Installation
SAN DIEGO, CA (November 24, 2009) – The students of San Diego State University have been a leading force for the California State University green movement. On Wednesday, Dec. 2, Associated Students of San Diego State University (AS) and local solar firm Sullivan Solar Power will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the recent 124-kilowatt solar photovoltaic installation completed at the Aztec AquaPlex, the students’ most energy intensive facility.
The student government at San Diego State University has proven to be one of the most environmentally progressive student collegiate bodies in the nation with the development of the Green Love Sustainability Advisory Board. The Green Love Board is one of America’s first student government boards dedicated to strengthening environmental efforts on campus. The Board and AS Council allocated funds to the solar project from a self-imposed student fee increase passed in the spring 2008, which secured funds for sustainable upgrades to Associated Students’ facilities.
“Associated Students has revolutionized the way that students look at their environment, their campus, and their own lives. Sustainability - in all senses of the word - has become a standard at San Diego State, and it stemmed from the motivations of a small group of students,” said Tyler Boden, AS President.
The event will include welcoming remarks from SDSU student body President Tyler Boden and inspirational words from San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, State Senator Christine Kehoe, City Council Members Marti Emerald and Kevin Faulconer, owner of Sullivan Solar Power Daniel Sullivan, SDSU President Stephen Weber and AS Green Commissioner Grant Mack. Student leaders Boden and Mack will receive a $286,116 rebate check from Andrew McAllister, director of programs at the California Center for Sustainable Energy, the administrators of the California Solar Initiative in the San Diego region.
“The ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the end of a 3-stage process to complete the PV solar array for the AquaPlex, but it also serves as a placeholder for a huge accomplishment in sustainability, which will motivate future progression at SDSU,” said Boden.
The solar system which consists of three separate ground-mounted arrays, each with 280 photovoltaic panels, will save the University more than $35,000 a year in utility costs, according to Grant Mack, AS Green Commissioner and Chairman of the Green Love board.
“Associated Students chose solar not only because of its visibility but because San Diego is the one of the sunniest regions the world and we have the opportunity to generate exceptional levels of clean renewable energy,” said Mack.
The large solar installation was a project two years in-the-making and was installed by locally owned and operated solar firm, Sullivan Solar Power. SDSU’s AquaPlex will generate enough solar power to reduce 299,940 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere each year and will generate roughly 241,887 kilowatt-hours per year. The project’s ground-mounted arrays are uniquely placed on a steep hillside slope adjacent to the facility. The three-phased installation used a total of 840 American-made SHARP panels and 18 SMA inverters.
Sullivan Solar Power also incorporated the work of Solar Park USA, to install eco-friendly earth screw mounting fixtures and racking. The earth screws were individually hand-screwed directly into the ground and do not require excavation or concrete foundations. When the project broke ground, it was one of the first installations in the country to use the earth screw technology, which has since become much more widely used.
“The students of SDSU have realized the profound educational opportunities associated with incorporating life-supporting renewable technologies on campus,” said Daniel Sullivan, founder and president of Sullivan Solar Power, “and they must be commended for their commitment to creating a sustainable future.”
Source: Sullivan Solar Power
