Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


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

  • VSLive! session

    VSLive! San Diego 2026 Puts AI at the Core of the Campus IT Stack

    For higher education IT teams working through AI pilots, ERP integrations, student-facing apps, analytics projects, and mounting security concerns, Visual Studio Live! San Diego 2026 offers a look at the development practices that are shaping the campus technology landscape.

  • Binary code flows through a digital pathway with red and blue lights in a dark background

    Survey: Enterprises Say They Are Ready for Agentic AI Failures, but Few Test Recovery Often

    Most enterprise organizations say they are ready to recover from disruptions involving agentic AI, but a new survey of more than 300 IT decision-makers from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States suggests relatively few test those plans often enough to prove it.

  • Interface buttons of Generative AI tool

    Report: No Foolproof Method Exists for Detecting AI-Generated Media

    Microsoft has released a new research report warning that no single technology can reliably distinguish AI-generated content from authentic media, and that deepening reliance on any one method risks misleading the public.

  • abstract smartphone translucent screen displaying AI interface

    Apple Introduces Redesigned Siri AI

    At its recent Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple introduced Siri AI, a redesigned version of its voice assistant that Apple describes in its own announcement as "a profoundly more capable and personal assistant." The update is intended to make Siri more conversational, more context-aware, and more useful across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.