New solar array now providing power to the Marine Science Center

A new solar array on the Marine Science Center is made up of 54 panels
A new solar array on the Marine Science Center is made up of 54 panels

A new solar array, composed of 54 panels, is now providing power to the Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center.

Charles Tilburg, Ph.D., director of the School of Marine Programs, says the array provides a starting point for cutting down the building's carbon footprint.

“I've always felt a little guilty that we study the ocean, but we inhabit one of the most energy intensive buildings on campus,” he said. “Eighty percent of all the heat in the atmosphere is absorbed by the ocean. Thirty percent of all the carbon dioxide that we emit into the atmosphere goes into the ocean. One of the reasons I'm so excited about this is that now we're both studying the ocean and protecting it.”

Jennifer Hatch of ReVision Energy, the company that installed the panels, says the array will generate enough energy to power two average size homes.

“It's going to produce about 18,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year,” Hatch explained. “We expect it to offset anywhere from seven to ten percent of the Marine Science Center’s annual building use.”

The Left Coast Fund in San Diego, California, run by philanthropist Scott Borden, reached out to UNE about providing funding for the array.

“They were soliciting proposals from across the country for on campus sustainability projects that involved students,” said Noah Perlut, Ph.D., associate professor and department chair in the Department of Environmental Studies. “That seemed pretty exciting to me. I helped put together a coalition of students, staff and faculty to work on this.”

The Left Coast Fund donated $25,000 towards the project. The rest of the funding came from UNE’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and Green Revolving Fund (GRF), an investment fund that finances energy efficiency projects on campus.

The USG donated $15,000, and the GRF gave $8,000.

“This is the kind of project that we need to put on a pedestal because it involved the whole UNE community from the bottom up,” said Perlut.  “Students, faculty and staff came together to work on something with an outside donor, and we had a successful outcome in a pretty short period of time.”

The Left Coast Fund of San Diego, California donated $25,000 towards the MSC project
The Left Coast Fund of San Diego, California donated $25,000 towards the MSC project
Griffin Kmon, president of the Undergraduate Student Government, speaks at an event celebrating the new solar array
Griffin Kmon, president of the Undergraduate Student Government, speaks at an event celebrating the new solar array
Jennifer Hatch of ReVision Energy stands in front of the monitor that shows how much power the panels are generating
Jennifer Hatch of ReVision Energy stands in front of the monitor that shows how much power the panels are generating

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.