Luther College Adds Solar Power With Department of Energy Award

Iowa's Luther College is nearing completion on a solar photovoltaic (PV) installation made possible in part by a $750,000 Department of Energy (DOE) award.

Part of an institutional plan to reduce carbon output in half by 2015, the project is scheduled for completion at the end of May and features two 68-foot-long 240-watt PV panels and underground power lines. Electricity from the system will power the school's Baker Commons, which "serves as a gathering space for students and college guests and includes a main lounge, bathrooms, a staging kitchen and laundry facilities for students living in the adjacent Baker Village townhouses, which accommodate more than 100 students," according to information released by the school.

Manufactured by SolarWorld USA, designed by Werner Electric, and installed by Perry Novak Electric, the $86,000 was paid for by DOE money and matching funds the college received in donations specifically for renewable energy. Following approval, Alliant Energy may provide up to $20,000 to further reduce the cost to the school.

Additional DOE funding went to the installation of more efficient toilets and windows and HVAC improvements to buildings that house approximately one third of the school's 2,500 students.

More information about Luther College is available at luther.edu.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • AI robot with cybersecurity symbol on its chest

    Microsoft Adds New Agentic AI Tools to Security Copilot

    Microsoft has announced a major expansion of its AI-powered cybersecurity platform, introducing a suite of autonomous agents to help organizations counter rising threats and manage the growing complexity of cloud and AI security.

  • 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.

  • central cloud platform connected to various AI icons—including a brain, robot, and network nodes

    Linux Foundation to Host Protocol for AI Agent Interoperability

    The Linux Foundation has announced it will host the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol project, an open standard originally developed by Google to support secure communication and interoperability among AI agents.

  • open laptop in a college classroom with holographic AI icons like a brain and data charts rising from the screen

    4 Ways Universities Are Using Google AI Tools for Learning and Administration

    In a recent blog post, Google shared an array of education customer stories, showcasing ways institutions are using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to transform both learning and administrative tasks.