In spring of 2001, ASUO held a competition between various student groups across camps for a proposal of a project that would most benefit the campus community. ASUO awarded $100,000 to a project proposed by the Ecological Design Center (EDC) to install solar panels on the EMU. The EDC is a student-based organization associated with the school of Architecture and Allied Arts.

The EDC hoped that with the installation of the solar panels, the university would not only save energy, it would also generate additional funding for the student benefit and promote conservation practices on campus.

Original plans called for panels on the EMU ballroom roof, however further assessment of this location indicated that the ballroom roof could not bare the additional weight of heavy PV panels. The current location of these panels on the EMU balcony is not as conducive to solar radiation. In the future, these panels may move to a much more ideal site for solar generation. Future plans of the EDC include expanding the solar EMU project but this would depend upon the availability of sunlight, building structure, and financial support.

Each of these three 100 square foot panels can produce 1 KW of electricity at capacity, where the total electric capacity of EMU solar project comes to about 3 KW's.