Activists enlighten U. on solar panels

As part of its Global Warming Solutions campaign, New Jersey Peer Interest Research Group interns set up a table in Brower Commons on the College Avenue campus Tuesday to educate the student body on a new solar panel on Livingston campus.
When the University installed the solar farm on the Livingston campus in July, it took a step toward saving energy and money while working to stop global warming, and NJPIRG members requested that students sign a banner thanking the University to create awareness of the project.
“The main purpose for this semester is to bring lots of media and awareness by publicizing global warming and that we need to take it seriously and do something about it,” NJPIRG intern Sara Banu said. “There are solutions for global warming, and [we try] to put solutions out there.”
The solar panel project, an installation of 1.4-megawatt system on seven acres of property, helps the University provide clean energy to the campus and reduce its carbon footprint, said Joseph Witkowski, director of utilities operations.
The panels generate 11 percent of the electrical needs for Livingston campus and are a model for the use of alternative energy resources, Campus Dean Lea Stewart said.
The University has saved $200,000 through use of the solar panels, and this figure will keep increasing, said Banu, a School of Arts and Sciences first-year student.
Construction of the panels, which began in August 2008 and cost $10 million, finished last June, Witkowski said. The University received a $4.9 million core rebate from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, and University funds provided the remaining $5.1 million.
Students can take pride in being part of a University that will set the stage and encourage other colleges around the country to take the same steps, Katie Hubschmitt, student board chair of NJPIRG, said.
Students of NJPIRG decided the top issue for this semester would be to stop global warming by highlighting existing solutions, said Hubschmitt, a School of Arts and Sciences senior.
“It’s important to continue building the momentum for global warming solutions and especially highlight what my University is already doing,” she said. “I’m personally proud of the University’s leadership. The students should have the opportunity to be a part of this movement and feel proud of their personal involvement.”
Students and University officials alike expressed pride in the University’s initiative.
“I am very pleased that the Livingston campus is the location of the largest solar farm on any college campus in the country,” Stewart said.
Witkowski said the project helps the University be more efficient.
“The University is always looking for ways to reduce costs and be sustainable,” Witkowski said. “This project accomplished both goals in a colossal way and … demonstrates how the University is a leader in renewal energy and committed to sustainable practices.”
NJPIRG strongly supports the use of solar panels and their potential financial benefit to students, NJPIRG Grassroots Visibility Coordinator Jawray Yu said.
“Hopefully, if we save enough money, I would like to see that the University [spend] less money and eventually lower the tuition,” said Yu, a School of Management and Labor Relations sophomore.
 

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