Monroe County Community College breaks ground for new solar energy system

Thursday, November 18, 2010 | Source: Metromode

The ground is now officially broken for a 500-kilowatt, $3-million photovoltaic renewable energy system at Monroe County Community College.

The system is part of a 20-year agreement that will provide Detroit Edison's customers with renewable energy from the sun, but also give students at MCCC a chance to see live and up close just how renewable energy works. Plus, the college gets paid as part of its lease for the space.

The solar panel array will be at the rear east side of campus, beyond the Physical Plant building and near a creek, in an area that isn't used right now. Although the solar array won't be part of the curriculum, students will still be able to observe it.

An informational kiosk will be displayed. "That will describe everything about the project -- how much energy it generates, how big it is," says Joe Verkennes, the college's director of marketing.

He says the college's industrial technology division offers programs like mechanical design, mechanical technology, and construction management, and renewable energy is intertwined into all those curricula. "This is helping us weave this into our programs, and we have a vision to develop some kind of alternative energy program in the future," he says.

The college hosted a groundbreaking on Monday. It also recently received used equipment from DTE Energy for a separate solar project.

The installation is part of Detroit Edison's pilot SolarCurrents program, which calls for photovoltaic systems to be installed on customer property or rooftops over the next five years. The investment is expected to generate 15 megawatts of electricity throughout southeast Michigan.

MCCC is the first educational institution to participate in the program, and its installation will be Detroit Edison's largest SolarCurrents installation on a college campus.

Source: Joe Verkennes, director of marketing, Monroe County Community College
Writer: Kristin Lukowski