Kent Trumbull adding solar panels to buildings

Kent State University at Trumbull is one of six Kent State regional campuses adding solar panels this fall.

The Trumbull solar array will provide clean energy representing about 65 percent of campus use. It is enough energy to power 197 homes and eliminate 1,284 tons of CO2 per year.

Last fall, Kent State University and Ten Nine Energy agreed to a power purchase agreement over 25 years. In return for purchasing solar power, Kent State campuses pay no out-of-pocket expenses for the panels and installation.

It is estimated that the campus will save over $24,000 the first year and more than $1.3 million over 25 years. Kent State University will save more than $6.3 million over 25 years.

“This is a win-win for the campus and the community,” said Kent State Trumbull spokesperson Bill Burgess. “We will save money, help improve air quality, and possibly add some educational opportunities.”

Pollinator prairie flowers will be planted throughout the solar array, yielding both a natural beauty and a refuge for native honeybees, butterflies and other pollinators that will help restore balance to the ecosystem. This area of native perennial plants has the potential to become a living laboratory for further environmental, biological, and botanical study.

Similar projects are underway at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Kent, Salem, and Stark.

Project completion is estimated for spring 2021.