Environmental Leader

Rutgers University broke ground on a seven-acre solar power system at its Livingston campus this week. The university is touting the 1.4 megawatt solar “farm” as the largest system on a single campus in the nation.

The solar system is expected to generate more than 1,500 megawatt hours of electricity in the first year and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 1,200 tons per year.

The university will pay for about half of the $10 million project, with the remaining costs to be subsidized by a rebate through the Board of Public Utilities’ Clean Energy Program.

Antonio Calcado, Rutgers’ vice president for Facilities and Capital Planning, says the solar energy project will save the university more than $200,000 in its first year of operation and rise to more than $300,000 in annual savings by the end of the 15-year program.

SunDurance Energy will install the more than 7,000 ground-mounted photovoltaic modules for the project. The solar system is expected to be operational in the spring of 2009.

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