Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville (SIUE) has chosen Nexamp as its community solar provider under a new long-term contract. The SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of over 12,500 and features various sustainability initiatives, including on-site wind and solar generation.
The university explored several options, ultimately deciding that the Nexamp community solar program was the right fit to augment its existing sustainability program. Under the agreement, SIUE is an anchor tenant subscribing to nearly eight megawatts of renewable energy production from four different community solar projects across the Ameren service territory. That number represents only a portion of each project’s total capacity; the university will receive energy credits to reduce its annual electric costs while enabling the expansion of renewable energy.
“By participating in the community solar program as a major user of electricity in the Metro East area, we have not only supported our own and the State of Illinois’ energy sustainability goals, but also received a reduction in our electricity costs as well,” says Craig Holan, director of facilities management at SIUE.
The university, which has been ranked by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as number one in Illinois and 22nd in the nation in green power usage, will save approximately $100,000 each year from its annual allocation over the life of the contract. In addition, each of those four community solar farms also serve individual residents, bringing energy cost savings to local Ameren customers.
“Community solar is a great option for a university looking to not only reduce its expenses but also to reduce its environmental footprint,” says Joe Fiori, vice president of energy sales at Nexamp. “These partnerships and others like them are vital to our mission, bringing renewable energy to the places where it is needed most. We applaud SIUE for all it is doing to minimize its environmental impact and serve as a model for other educational institutions.”
