Rutgers University in New Jersey was ranked third among the top 10 solar universities in the country in 2022, according to one publication. With another round of solar installations planned to be completed this year, that ranking may rise higher.
The state university is planning to install 16 solar carports that total 14.5 megawatts in its parking lots across five campuses according to electrek. Rutgers entered a 15-year agreement with an energy management company to design, build, own and operate the solar canopies, which are expected to generate 18 GWh of clean electricity every year.
Construction is expected to be completed later this year. The canopies are appealing in parking lot settings because they provide shade and cover from precipitation in addition to clean energy.
Before this latest project, Rutgers installed a 32-acre solar canopy on a parking at its Livingston campus that generates 8.8 megawatts of electricity that powers 60 percent of campus and saves the university about $28 million over 20 years in electric bills and the sale of Solar Renewable Energy Credits.
The university also has an 8,000-panel solar farm that provides 10 percent of energy for the Livingston campus.
Rutgers has established a goal of attaining carbon neutrality by 2040.
Dave Lubach is executive editor of the facilities market.
