University of Massachusetts Amherst
IN-25: Innovation B

In 2016, UMass Amherst installed over 15,000 photovoltaic panels across campus, providing 5.5 megawatts (DC) of clean electrical power for the campus to use for a heavily discounted rate. The major solar energy initiative will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the regional grid by the equivalent of 31,000 non-metric tons of carbon dioxide and cut the university's electric bills by $6.2 million over 20 years. This is the largest solar project on a college campus in New England, as of March 2017. Solar panels were added to five buildings and two expansive solar canopy systems: Recreation Center Champions Center Computer Science Fine Arts Center Police Station Lot 25 (Mullins Center Parking Lot) Lot 44 (North Apartments/Sylvan Residential Area Parking Lot) The project was constructed by Brightergy, a national energy company with offices in Charlestown, Mass. Brightergy, through its partnership with Sol Systems, arranged for project finance, ownership and ongoing maintenance of the solar installations with the owner of the project, ConEdison Solutions for up to 20 years. The university will buy all of the electricity from the $16 million project for direct use on campus through a power purchasing agreement. Brightergy has also provided paid internships to four UMass Amherst students in Market Development, Solar Engineering Design, and Software Engineering/Web Developing.

UMA is submitting this innovative project because although we do not receive any credit for this project in the OP section of this report because we are not retaining any SREC's until 2025, the project is incredibly innovative because we constructed over 11 acres of solar parking canopies and installed solar on some historically significant buildings on campus and all together the project is the largest solar project on a college campus in New England. This scale and type of solar project is unheard of in New England and throughout most of the country.