UAB Sustainability installs a 112-panel system atop of the Rec. center to serve as a focal point in order to promote environmentally friendly practices on campus. Photo by Amanda AbbettMark Linn - Copy Editorcopy@insideuab.com
With newly-installed solar panels, UAB’s Campus Recreation Center now boasts the largest solar-energy system in Birmingham.
The 112-panel system was installed as part of an effort by UAB Sustainability to raise awareness of renewable energy and sustainability resources.
“It’s a constant struggle to engage students, faculty and staff and the community with sustainability and why it’s important and how to apply a lens of sustainability to your daily life and work,” said Julie Price, Ph.D., coordinator for UAB Sustainability. “So having something like solar panels in a location like the Rec center that’s very visible from so many other buildings on campus and on the mountain we thought would be a good way to open the door to more people to learn about UAB Sustainability and sustainability overall.”
In addition to providing power to the facility, Price hopes that the system will be used for coursework and research by students and faculty. A monitor was installed in the main hallway of the center that displays a live feed of the solar panel system, giving general information on how the system works and how much energy it has generated to meet the building’s electricity needs.
“That sort of installation supports the approach of the UAB Facilities division. Their perspective of the campus is to treat it like a living laboratory,” Price said. “So not only are we building and maintaining buildings that are comfortable and safe for people to go to class and do research in but also that provide opportunities for people to learn about green buildings and new technologies.”
Since installation, the solar panels have generated approximately 6,451 kilowatt-hours or kWh.
For comparison, in 2015 the average U.S. residential utility customer used 10,812 kWh, about 901 kWh per month, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The power generated by the solar panels at the recreation center represents about 10 percent of total electricity consumption, according to Price.
The system saves an estimated $600 per month on utility costs.
The Facilities Division is also making use of the solar panels to determine what possible economic impact it could have as part of their utility portfolio, according to a UAB press release.
The new solar panels were featured in Birmingham’s first Solar Home Tour. So-called solar tours, organized nationally by the American Solar Energy Society, showcase green homes and businesses that utilize innovative solutions to sustainability needs. Such tours have taken place in other parts of the state, but 2016 is the first year that the tours have come to Birmingham. Birmingham’s tour, which took place on Oct. 29, included AEC Recycling, Daystar Construction, Red Mountain Park and several residential homes as well as the recreation center.
This is not the first effort to introduce solar power to UAB facilities. In 2008, eight solar panels were installed at the UAB Facilities building to charge electric cars used by its employees. More recently, Sustainability installed charging stations for phones and laptops outside the Hill Student Center.
Price hopes that the project will help bring attention to the relatively new UAB Sustainability department and get people to consider how to maintain sustainable resources.
“I hope they’ll visit our website and social media feeds and see the definition of sustainability, which is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs,” Price said. “So how do we do that? It’s not a political idea, it’s really just taking care of the resources that we have.”
