The ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s sustainability efforts will take center stage Friday and Saturday when clean-energy enthusiasts will tour solar power installations around Orlando.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s main campus is a featured stop on a tour of residential and commercial sites from noon to 4 p.m. both days. The local tour was organized by the Florida Renewable Energy Association as part of the 20th Annual National Solar Tour conducted by its parent organization, the American Solar Energy Society.

On a national level, the tour exhibiting renewable energy technologies is the largest grassroots solar event in the country, with over 160,000 participants visiting 3,200 solar energy sites.

They’ll have plenty to see at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, said David Norvell, the university’s assistant vice president for sustainability initiatives.

Among the featured stops on the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ campus are:

  • The biggest and most recent solar installation at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, a cluster of photovoltaic panels alongside Garage B that generates 107 kilowatts, enough to power about 50 homes.
  • A solar-powered charging station for electric vehicles adjacent to Memory Mall near Health and Public Affairs II building.
  • Photovoltaic panels mounted as an awning on the side of the Engineering I building that provide both energy and shade.
  • A 22 kilowatt installation on the roof of the Harris Corporation Engineering Center.

    • Solar power has become more economically feasible since the university installed the solar awning on the Engineering I building.

    β€œThroughout this time, costs have gone from about $10 per watt in the early 2000s to 60 cents per watt now,” Norvell said. β€œIt’s an incredible story about how technology has improved.”

    Solar energy is one tool in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s quest to be a greener campus. In 2007, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ President John C. Hitt signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, making ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ one of the first to pledge to be climate neutral by 2050.

    To achieve that goal, the university must have no net greenhouse gas emissions. There are interim goals, including a big one already underway: ensuring that by 2020, 15 percent of the energy used by ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ comes from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels.

    β€œWe’re reducing our emissions – that’s where this started,” Norvell said. β€œBut now solar is a very economically viable source of energy. It’s great when those two things come together.”

    The solar tour, which also includes several stops at homes in Orlando, is free and open to the public. The sites are the same on each day. Visit here for more information.