Sunny Adventures: Exploring Georgetown’s Solar Partnership at Church Hill Solar Plant
Did you know? Solar is the most abundant energy source on Earth. Powered by the sun, there is, hypothetically, enough solar energy hitting the Earth every hour to power all of civilization’s needs for an entire year.
Georgetown Staying Green
Georgetown has committed to advancing sustainability on campus by purchasing renewable energy and investing in energy efficiency, demonstrating the university’s dedication to increase sustainable efforts on campus.
To support this initiative, Georgetown partnered up to purchase power from 12 solar sites along the East Coast.Through a 15-year agreement, the university committed to buy approximately 100,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity annually from solar plants. This covers enough energy to cover 1,000 Hoyas Basketball games at the Capital One Stadium sustainably.
Church Hill Solar Farm
The Church Hill Solar Farm has a power purchase agreement with Georgetown University, which means that the university has made a commitment to purchase a certain amount of the energy generated by the farm. This helps Georgetown reduce its carbon footprint and support the use of renewable energy sources. Located on the eastern shore of Maryland, the Church Hill Solar Farm has already produced over 544 MWh of solar power this October.
The amount of energy produced so far this month is equivalent to…
~9,600 trees being planted or ~42,000 gallons of gasoline. Check out the production of the Churchill Solar Power Plant online here.
So Why Solar?
Here are some fun facts on why solar is a great energy option:
- Solar energy is renewable, produces no carbon emissions, and requires minimal water usage.
- Solar energy systems can generate electricity in almost any weather — cold, rainy, or snowy. In fact, rain cleans the panels, helping to maintain their efficiency, and their tilted form allows snow to easily slide off, ensuring continuous operation.
- Solar panels need little maintenance and typically last 25 to 30 years.
Want to Tour Solar Sites?
Recently, Georgetown University’s Office of Planning and Facilities Management and Office of Sustainability teams visited the Church Hill Solar Plant in Maryland. The teams toured the facility, getting an up-close look at how solar energy is generated on a large scale. Now, you can visit it too! Registration for a Church Hill Solar Plant Tour on Friday, November 22 will open online soon. Visits require limited groups for the safety of everyone.
Georgetown University has several buildings with rooftop solar. These include the 6 townhouses on Solar Street (i.e 37th Street), 55H St., and the redevelopment of the former Henle Village.
Solar panels were delivered on the site of the redevelopment of the former Henle Village on October 10, and are being installed through early November. On the Capitol Campus, 55H St. is actively producing power from solar. 55H St. has produced ~6 MWh this month already, and had a maximum monthly production this year in June at 9.4 MWh.
Georgetown University’s steps toward sustainability are a leap towards a brighter, cleaner future.