University of California, Davis, Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, and SunPower representatives today (Nov. 20) are dedicating the university’s newly constructed 16.3-megawatt (AC) solar power plant. The new plant, which UC Davis estimates will generate 14 percent of the electricity the campus needs, is the largest solar installation in the UC system and the largest “behind-the-meter” solar plant on a U.S. college campus offsetting electricity demand. The university expects to reduce the campus’s carbon footprint by 9 percent, or 14,000 metric tons, as a result of the system.
“This is a compelling example of how, with partners such as SunPower, we at UC Davis are reducing our carbon footprint,” said Katehi. “By taking steps to aggressively reduce our carbon emissions, we can set an example to the nation and the world of what can be achieved when we combine political will with science and innovation.”