Solar project provides living lab at Clarkson University

POTSDAM — A planned 2 megawatt solar array near Potsdam will do more than just provide nearly 10 percent of the power used at Clarkson University. It will also give students access to real-world data to use throughout their studies to better prepare them for the jobs awaiting them after graduation, the school says.

On Oct. 6, Clarkson announced it was partnering with Community Energy Solar of Radnor, Pa., which designed and will build the solar array on university property on Route 11 adjacent to Damon Field, Potsdam’s airport.

The 7,704 photovoltaic modules, situated on 12 acres, will generate about 2.8 million kilowatt hours per year, which is enough to power about 300 homes. It is also the equivalent of the power produced by burning 2,000 tons of coal or 4,500 barrels of oil. Making the switch to the sustainable power will cut the university’s carbon-dioxide emissions by 2,100 tons annually.

This ties in with the university’s promise to eliminate net greenhouse-gas emissions from certain campus operations and to promote the research and educational efforts to better equip society to re-stabilize the Earth’s climate. Those are promises Clarkson made when it signed on to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, says Dr. Susan Powers, a professor in sustainable energy systems at Clarkson’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment.

“We have to be at the forefront of what we think the future is all about,” she says. Just as importantly, the university also has to teach its students with that future in mind. That’s why she’s so excited by the solar array, currently being installed and set to go online in November.

Community Energy will own and operate the array, selling the energy to Clarkson at approximately the same price Clarkson is currently paying for its power. Community Energy will also share classroom-friendly data with the university, Powers adds.

“We’re really excited about having the info and data,” she says. The solar array essentially provides a living laboratory on campus and will provide information that can be used in many courses of study. Classes from calculus to energy-related classes will be able to use the data in a variety of ways, Powers says.

Even better, the information is “real world” data, which will add another element to learning. “Real data is messy,” Powers says. “It’s missing values. It’s very, very different than textbook data.” And Clarkson students will have to learn how to work around those gaps, just as they would out in the “real world,” she says. “It adds to the relevance of what they’re studying.”

Over the past decade, Community Energy has partnered with about 50 colleges and universities to supply them with wind and solar energy, Community Energy Solar Vice President of Developmental Operations Thomas Tuffey said in a release announcing the Clarkson project. Support for the project came from the state’s NY-Sun initiative administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). NY-Sun is a $1 billion initiative to advance solar energy in New York and move the state closer toward having a sustainable, self-sufficient solar industry. Funding for the Clarkson project was part of $54 million awarded under NY-Sun announced in July. The 79 projects funded will add 64 megawatts to the state’s solar capacity.

The solar array joins a number of sustainable practices at Clarkson including an integrated greenhouse to grow vegetables in cold climates, an anaerobic digester that coverts food waste to energy, and green building policies. Clarkson also offers two sustainability minors — sustainable-energy systems engineering and sustainable solutions for the developing world.

Clarkson’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment sponsors workshops, seminars, and a small grants program as well as undergraduate and graduate-level research experiences on renewable energy, clean water, and air-quality projects.       

Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com