They don’t call it the Sunshine City for nothin’. USF St Petersburg is going solar, and thanks to an initiative from Duke Energy, nearly 70% of the campus’ energy use will be derived from the new community solar program.
The surge in power will come from the Clean Energy Connection, a solar program in Florida that allows businesses and residents to receive the environmental and long-term cost benefits of solar energy without having to install and maintain costly equipment. The energy will come from the 10 solar plants Duke Energy is operating and building throughout the state, which will be used to power the program all over Florida.
ADVERTISEMENT
By becoming a subscriber in the program, USF St. Pete says the campus will be able to expand its renewable energy portfolio by up to 6,753 kilowatts, reducing its greenhouse gas emissions at a fraction of the cost of adding more solar panels and arrays on its own.
The service is subscription based and USF St. Pete will accumulate bill credits as the program rolls along. The university estimates that the credits will be larger than the subscription cost each month by year six, creating a net savings for the campus. By year seven, they estimate, the campus will have reached its payback period, meaning total bill credits earned will equal the total cost of investment in the program.
USF St. Pete doubles down on sustainability
There are already two solar panels on campus, and activating this program will increase the university’s investment in clean energy by several orders of magnitude.
“It is an appealing program for us because our campus is in a location where land is very expensive and we don’t have much space to expand and offset a significant amount of our energy demand with onsite renewable energy infrastructure,” said Winnie Mulamba, sustainability planner for USF St. Petersburg campus. “These limitations make the Clean Energy Connection program a great solution for those barriers.”
“Supporting clean, renewable energy is important to our customers and communities, however, we recognize not everyone has the space or funds to add solar panels to their home or business,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president, who also serves as chair of the USF St. Petersburg Campus Advisory Board and is a member of the USF Board of Trustees. “The Clean Energy Connection program helps customers and businesses like USF achieve their sustainability goals, earn savings on utility costs and be a part of a community that supports the transition to a cleaner energy future.”
Read more about the program in USF St. Pete’s official announcement.
ADVERTISEMENT
