U California Davis Goes Solar

The University of California, Davis has completed construction of a 16.3-megawatt solar power plant that will produce approximately 14 percent of the university's electricity needs.

The new plant "is the largest solar installation in the UC system and the largest 'behind the meter' solar plant on a U.S. college campus off-setting electricity demand," according to a news release. "The university expects to reduce the campus' carbon footprint by 9 percent, or 14,000 metric tons, as a result of the system."

Designed, built, owned and operated by SunPower, the installation features the company's Oasis Power Plant system and robotic panel cleaning technology designed to reduce water usage by 75 percent and increase system efficiency by as much as 15 percent.

"This is a compelling example of how, with partners such as SunPower, we at UC Davis are reducing our carbon footprint," said P.B. Katehi, UC Davis chancellor, in a prepared statement. "By taking steps to aggressively reduce our carbon emissions, we can set an example to the nation and the world of what can be achieved when we combine political will with science and innovation."

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • abstract illustration of a glowing AI-themed bar graph on a dark digital background with circuit patterns

    Stanford 2025 AI Index Reveals Surge in Adoption, Investment, and Global Impact as Trust and Regulation Lag Behind

    Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) has released its AI Index Report 2025, measuring AI's diverse impacts over the past year.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Launches Claude for Education

    Anthropic has announced a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • lightbulb

    Call for Speakers Now Open for Tech Tactics in Education: Overcoming Roadblocks to Innovation

    The annual virtual conference from the producers of Campus Technology and THE Journal will return on September 25, 2025, with a focus on emerging trends in cybersecurity, data privacy, AI implementation, IT leadership, building resilience, and more.

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.