Plug Smart, in conjunction with its project partner Constellation Energy’s Projects & Services Group, completed the development of a 1.12 megawatt solar and wind power system at the University of Toledo’s Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation in Toledo, Ohio. The campus will utilize solar and wind power to generate electricity and the university’s commitment to sustainability also provides students with firsthand educational experiences with renewable technologies.
Plug Smart was responsible for consulting and managing the project for the University of Toledo. This entailed the initial development of the project including project qualification, financing, initial design and layout and Power Purchase Agreement negotiations. This project also include the first negotiated power purchase agreement by a state agency in Ohio.
“The creation and production of clean, renewable energy sources is vital to the way we power our world. That’s why The University of Toledo created the Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation,” UT President Dr. Lloyd Jacobs said. “Our relationship with Plug Smart for the solar and wind electric generation systems on that campus will help students and researchers advance the technology that will power our future.”
The project utilizes thin-film-on-glass photovoltaic solar technology that was originally developed based on research at the University of Toledo and included 90% Ohio content for the components and installation of the project. . The project also included the installation of an 80 kW wind turbine at the site. Together, the solar and wind systems are expected annually to generate power equivalent to the amount of electricity used by 140 homes in a year. Generating that same amount of electricity using non-renewable sources would result in the release of more than 1,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and the equivalent of the emissions from 200 passenger vehicles annually.
This project is a vital component of the University of Toledo’s Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation development project. The Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation is an ambitious, multiphase, multiyear project that demonstrates the University of Toledo’s commitment to clean & alternative energy, conserve energy, institute renewables generation, reduce the University of Toledo’s carbon footprint, and educate and train future advanced energy professionals. The University of Toledo will maintain and enhance its position as a leader in advanced energy research and education through developing energy efficiency and renewables demonstration at the Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation.
The Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation serves as a hands-on alternative energy laboratory used for teaching, research and demonstration, as well as the base location from which to generate energy and reduce the University of Toledo’s carbon footprint. The University of Toledo, a national leader in solar energy research, is the only university in the country to commit an entire 600,000+ sq ft. campus with existing classroom and laboratory space and active energy researcher expertise to advancing solar renewable, alternative and sustainable energies.