The President’s Commission on Sustainability has created an initiative to add solar panels to the energy systems on campus.
The initiative is still in its infancy, but President Randy Dunn has already given it his approval.
“Planning is presently underway for a solar panel project that would include enough panels to generate about 50 kilowatts of electricity,” Dunn said.
The approximate projected minimum cost of the project is around $170,000 and Murray State would get about $17,000 back each year by selling excess electricity to the Tennessee Valley Authority and Murray Electric System, along with the money saved from fewer fossil fuels used.
The commission, which is made up of faculty members from multiple departments and several students, is allotting 50 percent of their funds toward launching this first large scale solar installation at the University.
The solar panels could be placed at the Curris Center, Faculty Hall or, most likely, at one of the Murray State farms.
Murray State student Caleb Johnson, senior from Bowling Green, Ky., is a member of the Murray Environmental Student Society and is on the commission.
“Western Kentucky has excellent solar energy potential,” Johnson said. “Solar is an obvious choice for making our energy consumption more sustainable. The University will be saving a measurable amount of money and be supporting a cleaner and more sustainable future.”
Recently the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition, a group of environmentally-minded students from across the Commonwealth, has been making a push for renewable energy throughout Kentucky.
“A percentage of the energy savings from the solar panels could be dedicated to the sustainability commission to invest in more sustainable projects for the future,” Johnson said.
The commission wants the project in place soon.
The commission is working to see about possibly receiving matching funds from TVA and the Murray Electric System.
“We’ll likely cobble together money from a variety of sources in order to get this going sooner rather than later,” Dunn said. “I’d really like to see it get underway given the Commission’s work and time spent on making this happen.”
Dunn said the solar panels have a guaranteed lifespan of 30 years in addition to the return on investment, making the project not only green, but cost-effective.
“This is a smart long-term investment in green energy for us, exactly the type of thing I had asked the sustainability commission to investigate,” Dunn said.
Murray State is not the first school to introduce solar panels. Western Kentucky University installed a solar thermal array on its Preston Health and Activities Center, which is used to heat the WKU swimming pool.
The array performs 10 months out of the year, and is guaranteed to save the school $10,963 annually. Six students at the University of Kentucky finished building their own solar array in May 2011, and installed it on campus.
Dunn said: “With the leadership of groups like the sustainability commission, MESS, the Hutson School of Agriculture and others, you’re going to see the campus moving progressively toward green energy sourcing when it’s feasible and cost effective to do so.”
Story by Amanda Grau, Contributing writer.
