Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Colorado State Signs for Solar Installation

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 11/05/20

Colorado State University recently took action that will move the Fort Collins institution closer to its goal of shifting all of its energy needs to renewable electricity by 2030. The school signed a deal with Namasté Solar and Solaris Energy for a 10 megawatt solar system.

Namasté will develop, design and construct solar arrays at up to 30 sites, including rooftops, carports and ground mounts, at the university's campuses and provide long-term operations and maintenance. Solaris will set up the financing and then own and manage the systems as a part of its larger asset portfolio. Colorado State will retain ownership of renewable energy credits attributed to the new systems.

"CSU is a leader in many aspects of sustainability and we are always proud of that," said Carol Dollard, a utility engineer at the school, in a university article. "Sustainability in operations is actually the area where we have the most room for improvement and this project helps us close that gap. More solar installations will continue to advance carbon reductions and help us on the path to 100-percent renewable electricity."

Dollard said that CSU campuses currently consumed 170 million kilowatt hours. Current solar installations generated about 10 million kWh. That means reaching the goal will probably require other forms of renewable energy too, such as wind.

Construction and installation of the latest project are expected to begin in the first half of 2021 with project completion set for late 2022.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Colorado School District Breaks Ground on Unified PK–12 Campus

    The Haxtun School District No. Re-2J in Haxtun, Colo., recently announced that ground has been broken on a renovation/addition project that will unite its two schools, Haxtun Elementary and Haxtun Jr/Sr High School, according to a news release.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Opens New Office in Denver

    Education planning and design firm Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) recently announced that it has opened a new office in Denver, Colo., the firm’s third overall. QKA is headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., and runs an East Bay Area office in Oakland.

  • Florida District Completes Construction on New Leadership Institute

    Pinellas County Schools near Tampa, Fla., recently announced that construction is complete on the new Dr. Michael A. Grego Leadership Institute, according to a news release. The district partnered with Rowe Architects for the project’s design and with Skanska for construction services.