FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Chris Cottrell, Solar Co-Director
Ecological Design Center, University of Oregon
phone: 541.521.0534
email: cottrell@darkwing.uoregon.edu
website: http://edc.uoregon.edu
Students go solar at the University of Oregon as a 12 kW array
goes online at the Student Recreation Center
Eugene, Oregon, January 7th, 2005
The University of Oregon is going solar, again! The Rec Center will go "online" with its brand new array of solar modules. The array is estimated to produce about 40 kilowatt hours of electricity each day or about 14,500 kilowatt hours each year.
WHAT
A dedication ceremony to celebrate the completion of the new solar array.
WHEN
Friday, January 14th, 4:00pm.
WHERE
The lobby of the Student Recreation Center at the University of Oregon. The Student Recreation Center is located at 1202 E. 15th Ave.
PRESS PACKETS
Press packets can be picked up from Chris Cottrell at the ceremony. Attendees will have the opportunity to view the panels, speak with all involved participants, and take photographs. The event will be brief: 30 to 40 minutes total.
PARKING
Metered parking is available on 15th Ave.
BACKGROUND
84 glistening solar modules, perched above the basketball courts at the campus Rec Center will begin to convert the energy of the sun into useable electricity. The production of power will offset a portion of the Rec Center's utility bill. The array will serve as a model for future energy-conscious campus development.
“The project, initiated and funded by University of Oregon students, demonstrates their desire for a sunnier future and shows their commitment to address problems facing this nation and the world in a positive manner.” says Frank Vignola, director of the University of Oregon Solar Energy Center. "The University of Oregon has a reputation for environmental leadership and it is the students who are forging the path to a healthier more sustainable future."
This is the second phase of a three-part project that started In the spring of 2001, when the Ecological Design Center (EDC) was awarded a $100,000 grant by the student government to install a grid-tied photovoltaic system on university rooftops. The grant’s goal was to fund enduring and environmentally responsible projects that benefit the entire student body.
The final phase of the project will conclude with a solar information kiosk in the Rec Center. The kiosk will contain a monitor to show students in real-time how much energy the panels are producing, and how much energy they've produced over their lifetime. It will also contain a series of displays giving general information about the benefits of solar power, including; the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the decentralization of power production, and the lack of dependence on foreign oil.
The Ecological Design Center was able to increase the size of the project by 25% by taking advantage of a tax credit given by the Oregon Department of Energy for renewable energy projects.
The original proposal to the ASUO outlined three main goals of the project: to produce clean, renewable energy; to put the UO on the map as a "green" campus; and to generate energy that would save money for the student body. The project is meant as a showcase for future energy-conscious development on campus. A multi-departmental cooperative effort made this project possible.
"What's really amazing is that this is a student-funded project. They [the students] could have chosen to spend the money on a block party instead of solar. People say that university students have lost their voice and no longer care about making the world a better place. What I see is that students have become more practical in their activism than they were in the sixties and seventies. Funding a project like this is one of the strongest statements that can be made toward a peaceful and sustainable world. " -Vince McClellan : Solar contractor/ LCC solar instructor
"A kilowatt-hour is the electrical energy consumed in one hour at the constant rate of one kilowatt. The average household in the United States uses about 8,900 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year."1
PARTICIPANTS
The Ecological Design Center (EDC) is a student organization that resulted from the merger of the Solar Information Center and the annual HOPES (Holistic Options for Planet Earth Sustainability) conference that focuses on sustainability in design. The 11th Annual HOPES conference will occur on April 8,9, and 10th, 2005.
Dennis Munroe, Director, Physical Activity and Recreation Services
Jen deVries, Associate Director, Facilities & Operations, Student Rec Center 346-1044
Dave Beardsley, Project Manager, UO Project Management Group 346-2323
Brian Hawley, Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) 484-1125
Frank Vignola, Solar Monitoring Lab, UO Physics Department, 346-4745
Jim Krumsick, Balzhiser & Hubbard Engineers
Pam Reber, former EDC Solar Director
Angshupriya Pathak, EDC Solar Co-Director
Martha Bohm, EDC Director
Barry Lister, L.R. Brabham Inc., Electrical Contractor
Vince McClellan, Energy Design, Solar Contractor, 800-200-2372
1. "Electrical Energy." The New Book of Popular Science. 2000 edition. Grolier
Incorporated, 1998
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