Let in the Light

90 solar panels were installed by Kasselman Solar at the Campus Center West addition. (Photo by Jared Brown)

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 19, 2016) — The University at Albany took a big step forward in its commitment to green energy on last week.

A new array of 90 LG 350-watt solar panels was installed on the Campus Center West addition on the morning of Friday, Oct. 14, by Kasselman Solar, an Albany-based solar panel installation company.

“We seek to reduce our carbon footprint in line with the environmental commitments we have made, including the Climate Leadership commitment and the U.N. Higher Education Sustainability Initiative,” said Office of Sustainability Director Mary Ellen Mallia about the University’s goals for these new panels.

The panels will produce around 30,000 kilowatt hours of energy in a year, which will be used for the Campus Center West’s energy needs, according to University Energy Officer Indu. According to Indu, these panels should save the University around $2,700 a year in energy costs. While the panels themselves have been installed, their system will not be complete and operational until sometime in the Spring.

“University at Albany, SUNY has gone solar!” said Kasselman Solar in a Facebook post from Oct. 14. “Some of our installation and technical teams are alumni and took great pride in this special project!”

The Campus Center West solar panels are not the first on the UAlbany campus. In 2010, 234 solar panels were installed on top of the Social Sciences Building. According to Indu, these panels produce around 55,000 kilowatt hours of energy in a year.

Indu said the goal of the solar installations is to “reduce carbon emissions from electric use on campus and support our commitment to renewable energy choices.”

Steven Kasselman of Kasselman Solar said the company plans to install a monitor in the Campus Center West addition’s main entrance that displays the amount of energy being produced by the panels.

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