George Washington University
IN-1: Innovation 1

Capital Partners Solar Project is an innovative renewable energy project that will provide solar power from three project sites to the George Washington University (GW), American University (AU) and the George Washington University Hospital (GWUH). It is comprised of 52 megawatts (MWac) of solar photovoltaic (PV) power. Collectively, once all three solar farm sites are operable by early 2016, the project will deliver 123,000 MWh of renewable energy to the three partners in its first year, with GW taking approximately 70.4% of the total load (equivalent to about 50% of its total electricity demand). At the time of signing, GW's share represented the largest ever non-utility solar PV power purchase agreement (PPA) in the United States in terms of total megawatt-hours contracted over the life of the 20-year contract term. This project demonstrates how large organizations in an urban setting can partner to significantly reduce their carbon footprints by receiving offsite solar energy. Supplied by Duke Energy Renewables, the solar power will help all three institutions reduce their carbon footprint significantly, abating approximately 60,000 metric tons of CO2 compared to conventional electricity. This is equivalent to taking roughly 12,500 cars off the road. In addition, the project will yield economic savings for each institution as the price of traditional power is expected to increase over the duration of the project contract. This project is a model for other urban institutions that want to meet their electricity needs using renewable energy. The groundbreaking for the first site located in Pasquotank County near Elizabeth City, NC, took place in summer 2014 and the project began to deliver electricity to GW in January 2015. GW is taking 100% of the solar power generated by the Pasquotank Solar Farm, equivalent to approximately 25% of its total electricity demand. The second and third site locations will be finalized by April 2015, and begin delivering solar power to GW by the start of 2016, at which point the solar generation will produce approximately 50% of GW's electricity.