National Solar Tour

Kent Campus 7.2 kWDC Solar PV fixed tilt racking modules and 1.5 MW Battery Energy Storage System

The Kent State ground mounted 7.2 MW dc Solar PV with Terrasmart fixed tilt racking modules, fixed at 20 degrees, and 1.5 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), is located on 2 separate sites. The north site uses about 9 acres of a 33-acre parcel across the street from Summit East Parking area at 1900 Summit Street and the south site uses about 14 acres of a parcel south of S.R. 261. This exciting new array will provide about 10% of the annual electricity needed on Kent Campus and will be operational at the end of 2024The total new array has 13,026 (550w) panels with projected annual production of 8,500 MWh and the BESS capacity is 1.54MW and 1.725MWh. The electrical connection to the 13.2 kV Kent State grid is behind the Ohio Edison Meter. The Kent Campus will use all the clean renewable electricity and will not export any electricity to the external Ohio Edison electric grid. As with the Kent State Summit Street Power Plant, this solar asset will continue to reduce stress on the Ohio Edison/PJM electric grid. The other eight (8) existing Kent State solar arrays, combine with this new project to produce an annual total of about 13.7 MWh of clean electricity, reducing our carbon footprint by about 10,700 tons!

This new system was carefully analyzed and is expected to be economically beneficial to Kent State, but only because the BESS was added. The efficiencies of the natural gas electric turbines installed in about the year 2000, at the Kent State Summit Street Power Plant along with Combined Heat and Power Plant equipment, make solar PV arrays alone on Kent Campus difficult to support economically. Kent State will utilize a 3rd party contract to leverage the BESS system for revenue. This will be through an electric grid program to improve area electric grid power quality through Fast Frequency Response aka, Regulation D control. The BESS will be externally controlled based on rapid signals, to discharge or charge depending on the stability need of the electric grid.

This project is administered through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for a 30-year period. Costing little capital to Kent State University, the developer assumes all project and maintenance costs while Kent State purchases all clean renewable electricity produced by the system.  OnSite partners (formerly AEP OnSite Partners) was deemed the best value selection after in-depth, multiple expert analysis of all proposals after a 2019 RFP. Melink Solar is the Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) Contractor. The COVID-19 pandemic and solar module moratorium caused delays early in the project. More recent supply chain challenges after the pandemic, created challenges that the developer and the Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) Contractor have solved. Additionally, a second site was required with legal deed revisions that added to complexities and delays. The construction process has been progressing smoothly with all sub-contractors working quickly and efficiently.

A process of studies and approvals by Ohio Edison/First Energy Corporation, was required to ensure safety of the electric grid and coordination of the renewable electricity produced.

Native Pollinator seeding is planned for both array sites. This practice is beneficial to; reduce rainwater runoff, reduce mowing and the associated fuel/CO2 and encourage improved numbers of beneficial birds, bees and insects.

The PV array and BESS systems will be expandable if desired in the future as campus size and electricity required increases.

Kent State’s first solar array was installed on the roof of the Field House at the Kent Campus, which is beyond the campus grid.  At the time it was completed in the summer of 2012, it was the largest, roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) panel electrical system within the University System of Ohio.  Working with Third Sun Solar and Wind Power, Ltd. for KSU Field House 1, LLC, a solar power developer, power production from the solar panels installed by Thompson Electric, Inc. officially began on July 20, 2012. Electricity from the solar panels provides about one-third of the electricity required for the combined Field House and Dix Stadium facilities; since the two facilities are electrically interconnected, both benefit from the solar panel project. This project became a model for other Kent State solar PV systems. The non-penetrating metal roof mounted 463 kW system is made up of 1,716 multi-crystalline silicone panels, occupies almost an acre of the south facing roof. The solar PV array reduces our carbon dioxide equivalent impact on the earth by 390 tons each year. 

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The Podiatric Medicine ground mounted fixed array is part of a larger energy conservation project with The Brewer-Garrett Company completed in 2021. The solar developer/installer was Paradise Energy Solutions, LLC. The 315.2 kWdc Solar PV Array ground fixed-tilt mounting system consists of 788 solar panels and extends electrical connection to campus. The 315.2 kWdc Solar PV array serves nearly 30 percent of campus electricity. It is enough energy to power 42 homes or 52 cars and eliminate 273 tons of CO₂ per year. The 25-year Power Purchase Agreement requires no upfront capital expense to the college, and all electricity produced is purchased at a negotiated rate with The Brewer-Garrett Company, Middleburg Heights, Ohio. The PV system will produce a minimum 25-year electric cost savings of about $16,500 the first year, and over $550,000 after 25 years. The perimeter of the array is made up of native pollinators and other plants specifically selected for the area to increase numbers of honeybees and various other beneficial insects. To follow-up on its progress, a solar energy dashboard is expected to be available on the CPM homepage allowing real-time data use for educational purposes and community interest.

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Installation of 2,160 ground-mounted photovoltaic panels on the former site of Jammal Field at Kent State Ashtabula was completed by Third Sun Solar in 2021. The Ashtabula solar array provides 864 kilowatts (1,161,216 kilowatt hours) of clean energy each year, representing about 68 percent of campus use. It is enough energy to power 139 homes and eliminate 905 tons of CO₂ per year. The Office of the University Architect estimates that the campus will save an average of approximately $16,400 in energy costs per year and a minimum $410,300 over 25 years. The reduction in carbon footprint of 905 tons of CO₂ is equivalent to removing 177 cars from the road. Native Pollinator flowers will be planted throughout the solar array Fall 2021 yielding both natural beauty and a refuge for native honeybees, butterflies and other pollinators that will help restore balance to the ecosystem. 

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The 322 kWdc Solar PV Array, ground, fixed-tilt mounting at Kent State Geauga consists of 816 panels covering 1.27 acres on Claridon-Troy Road right next to campus. Melink Solar completed installation in 2021. The system provides 67 percent of electricity on campus. As a complementary enhancement, native pollinator prairie flowers will be planted throughout the solar array in Fall 2021, 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. With 81 prairie plant species available, they also offer sustainability benefits to help the solar system operate optimally. The deep roots of prairie plants promote absorption of rainwater and cool the ground, helping the solar panels to run more efficiently.

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Kent State at East Liverpool Campus 93 kWdc Solar PV Array, non-penetrating ballasted system roof mounting consists of 232 solar panels installed by Third Sun Solar in 2021 on Puriton Hall with electricity extending to the building. The minimum 25-year solar electric cost savings to the East Liverpool Campus is expected to be about $40,400 with a reduced carbon footprint of 89 tons of carbon dioxide. This is the equivalent to removing 18 cars from roadways.

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Kent State at Trumbull Campus 1,314 kWdc Solar PV Array, ground, fixed-tilt mounting consisting of 3,328 panels was completed by Melink in 2021. The Trumbull solar array provides 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. It is estimated that the campus will save an average of about $23,290 per year and more than $582,160 over 25 years. Pollinator prairie flowers will be planted throughout the solar array in Fall 2021, yielding both 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. 

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Kent State at Salem Campus 616 kW ground mounted solar array consists of 1,560 panels on a fenced-in plot of ground behind the main classroom building. Connecting to the campus electric system, the 616 kW system produces clean electricity to serve 73 percent of the electricity for the campus. This is enough electricity to power 95 homes and translates to an expected minimum cost savings of about $280,000 for the Salem Campus over the 25 years of the contract. The project will reduce the carbon footprint by 617 tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to removing 121 cars from the roads.

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Kent State University at Stark Campus: rooftop solar array, non-penetrating, ballasted 261 kW size. There is also a 2.5kW research wind turbine. The solar array is featured on the Main Hall and also located on three more buildings. Kent State University at Stark Campus: Science and Nursing Building there is also rooftop domestic water heating solar thermal array, utilizing APRICUS evacuated tube solar collector headers, drain-back system. Two 264-gallon heavily insulated storage tanks, provides hot water for the majority of the year – even on cloudy and winter days is backed up by series of gas-fired NORTIZ brand tankless water heaters.

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Other Sustainable Features at Kent State University

Elsewhere on our Kent campus or regional campuses you can find these sustainable features:

• Electric vehicles
• Electric vehicle charging – several locations
• Energy efficiency upgrades – Exterior visible – window replacements numerous buildings single pane to double pane thermal
• Gardening/xeriscaping –  Green Roof at Taylor Hall
• Geothermal –  The John Elliot Center for Architecture and Environmental Design Geothermal well field under grass area to the west of the building
• Heat pumps – McGilvery Hall (large commercial system) and Women’s Center (3 large residential style systems)
• Solar PV ground mount – Offsite virtual information on regional campuses
• Solar PV rooftop – Offsite virtual information on regional campuses
• Solar thermal –  Offsite at Stark Regional Campus – domestic hot water
• Water harvesting – The John Elliot Center for Architecture and Environmental Design, gray water collection tank for sanitary plumbing fixture flushing
• Wind generation – Offsite at Stark (vertical turbine) and Geauga (horizontal turbine). Regional campuses – small research-study turbines