University of Pennsylvania, United States

A solar powered university

The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) committed to carbon neutrality by 2042 by signing the President’s Climate Commitment in 2009. A significant step toward this goal is a power purchase agreement (PPA) with AES Corporation, which meets roughly 70% of the electrical demand of both Penn and the health system in the greater Philadelphia area, reducing Penn’s carbon footprint by 26%. On 1,600 acres in central Pennsylvania sit two solar arrays comprising more than 485,000 panels, with a capacity of 220 megawatts.

As part of the PPA, AES is funding renewable energy research by Penn students and faculty, including studies of soil carbon sequestration on the solar fields to assess potential co-benefits associated with solar energy production. With society increasingly turning to renewable energy sources like solar to transition away from fossil fuels, such research will inform a holistic understanding of impacts on the land and ecosystems, charting a path toward accelerating the benefits of clean energy projects.

What the Judges Thought

The University of Pennsylvania’s “A Solar Powered University” initiative is a powerful demonstration of large-scale renewable energy adoption in higher education. It integrates research and educational components that contribute to a broader understanding of sustainable practices. This very large-scale project has a significant territorial impact and follows an ambitious low-carbon trajectory. The societal and economic impacts are well-controlled, and the initiative serves as a role model for others. For these reasons, this initiative is a deserving highly commended.

What it Means to Win

“This International Green Gown Award, powerfully affirms and promotes greater public awareness of Penn’s cutting-edge sustainability efforts. From a new 1,600-acre solar farm producing enough energy to power 70% of our campus and area health system, to pioneering research and teaching, Penn is leading the science and practice of sustainability on every front.”
 
J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, Interim President

Top 3 Learnings

1. Challenges serve as opportunities to strengthen our university's resilience and commitment to advancing towards a sustainable future. The constraints in the supply chain imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the construction methods of the solar array, so AES changed its methodology to complete the project within the contract's schedule.
2. The key to our success is always including faculty and students in the institutional sustainability initiatives. Through collaborations across campus, we are devout to leverage opportunities to educate the future leaders who will deal with this climate crisis beyond those of us who are working on it today.
3. We are responsible for using the solar PPA facility as a replicable model to promote renewable energy and reduce carbon footprint in alignment with our mission in research and education.