Collaboration powers Virginia Tech’s solar energy expansion
Virginia Tech is powering up for a more sustainable future with the completion of four new solar array projects across the Blacksburg campus.
Through careful planning and thoughtful collaboration, the solar arrays are now live and working toward Virginia Tech's Climate Action Commitment goals.
The new solar arrays, which were installed on Sterrett Center, Durham Hall, McComas Hall, and the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, work in tandem with the existing energy infrastructure to power the Blacksburg campus. These projects add to existing solar array installations on the Perry Street Garage, Durham Hall, and Whittemore Hall to further enhance the university's renewable energy efforts.
Powering new opportunities
The new solar arrays contribute additional self-generating power to the university’s energy portfolio. “We’re always looking for opportunities to pursue additional projects that increase our capacity for self-generating energy,” said Nam Nguyen, executive director of energy and utilities. “By expanding solar power on campus, we’re actively contributing to Virginia Tech’s sustainability goals.”
Nguyen said the initiative will have long-term impact through the energy output expected from the new installations. “By the end of 2024, we project these four solar array projects to produce approximately 2,300 MWh annually,” said Nguyen. “That's enough power to provide clean energy to approximately 215 average homes every year.”
While the new solar arrays were installed on existing buildings across the Blacksburg campus, the Division of Facilities is intentionally designing and constructing new buildings to be solar ready and focused on sustainability.
“Many capital construction projects on the Blacksburg campus are designed to be solar ready,” said Paul Ely, interim director of capital construction. “We are consciously creating facilities that include the engineering to support the potential of solar arrays.”
Collaboration supports renewable energy goals
Specific selection criteria was required for each building before it was chosen to host a new set of solar arrays. Buildings were selected for a variety of reasons, including space available on the roof and the building’s ability to support the weight of solar arrays. Beyond the infrastructure to support the new arrays, the building’s design was taken into consideration in order to retain the university’s architectural identity.
"As we worked to incorporate solar arrays and devices into the campus fabric, it was critical to maintain alignment with Virginia Tech’s campus design principles and protect our iconic viewsheds," said Liza Morris, assistant vice president for planning and university architect. "Our goal was to ensure that the buildings chosen for these projects not only provided the correct infrastructure to support the solar arrays, but also that the components were not visible or were screened appropriately to blend with our collegiate gothic Hokie Stone architecture and not distract from the natural beauty of campus."
Led by the Office of the University Engineer, additional collaboration within the Division of Facilities came from Facilities Operations to determine ease of access to mechanical equipment, the university building official to ensure the projects were completed in compliance with code, related laws, and regulations, the Office of Sustainability to review the environmental benefits of the project, and the Office of Finance and Operational Technology to assist with the procurement process.
"While the process of aligning campus stakeholders for the installation of rooftop solar arrays required careful coordination, it ultimately demonstrated a successful approach for delivering solar projects within the unique constraints of the Virginia Tech campus.” said Matt Stolte, university engineer.
Experiential learning
Virginia Tech students are already benefiting from the previous solar array installation on Durham Hall. Virginia Tech’s Learning Factory, launched in 2019 within the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, provides students with hands-on engineering experience. Powered by rooftop solar arrays on Durham Hall, it is believed to be the world’s first net-zero energy learning factory.
Looking ahead, the solar arrays will continue to provide opportunities for student learning and research. The Office of Sustainability plans to use the solar arrays on Sterrett Center as a learning tool for its 20 student interns. The project will also serve as a case study for students interested in writing Green RFPs that will look at small, targeted solar installations on other buildings. Throughout the planning and installation process, the Division of Facilities has gained valuable insights from this project, which will enable the division to better guide students toward areas on campus where similar solar installations could be effective solutions.
