New York Community College Goes Solar
Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) has completed a solar photovoltaic installation
at its main campus designed to provide 90 percent of the college's electricity, for a savings of approximately $300,000 per year at current
utility rates.
A member of the State University on New York system, TC3 deployed a 2.6-megawatt system
comprising 8,676 solar modules as part of a 25-year power purchase agreement.
"We're happy to be able to meet such a large percentage of our energy needs through this solar project," said James Turner, director of
facilities for TC3, in a prepared statement. "As a college we are committed to doing what we can to help the environment, both by our teaching
and by our actions. This project, along with other energy-saving and environment-improving efforts already underway on campus, is a significant
step both for the college and the entire community."
As part of the power purchase agreement, Nextera Energy Resources will own and
operate the 10-acre system for the school.
"We're proud to support TC3's goals to be more energy efficient and to save money that can be applied to programs for students," said Matt
Handel, vice president of development for NextEra, in a prepared statement. "By putting a piece of their underutilized land to work generating
clean solar energy, TC3 will receive competitively priced electricity at no up-front cost."
About the Author
Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].