PLATTEVILLE, Wis.— The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is moving forward with the construction of a 2.4 megawatt solar array on campus. The University received final approval from the State of Wisconsin last week to begin construction on the project.

“This is pretty exciting to see a project over multiple years come to fruition,” said Amy Seeboth-Wilson, sustainability coordinator with UW-Platteville.

Seeboth-Wilson said the array will offset the campus's electricity by about 17% and reduce carbon emissions by 2,300 tons a year. She also said it will save the campus and state $217,000 a year and increase the reliability of the campus's electricity grid.

“We are excited to take this momentous step in our commitment to sustainability,” said Chancellor Dennis J. Shields. “These efforts will save taxpayer money and have a lasting impact on future generations of Pioneers. I am proud that UW-Platteville can serve as a model of innovation and pave the way for other state agencies to follow suit.”

Three years ago students petitioned the university to add renewable energy infrastructure and in a 2019 referendum 82% of students asked the campus to move towards 100% renewable energy.

“So that's a really big goal and this array helps us get to part of it,” Seeboth-Wilson said.

Construction on the Array will begin as soon as weather will allow. Seeboth-Wilson said it will be up and running in the fall semester of 2021— in time for students to use it as part of their education.

“Which makes me excited for our students because these are the jobs of the future,” Seeboth-Wilson said. “Renewable energy is an up and coming field, we now can make renewable energy less expensive than we can make fossil fuel based energy.”

The array has already been incorporated into education of students in several programs on campus. UW-Platteville has a four year renewable energy degree, and Seeboth-Wilson said it is one of the only ones in the nation. 

The array is designed to accommodate future battery storage and the University expects it to have a 30 year life.

“This technology is right at the cusp of the future and our students are going to get a first hand experience in working with it and understanding it that's going to make them that much better when they go look for their jobs,” Seeboth-Wilson said.