Stockton has it made in the shade

New solar carport does double duty, generating power while keeping vehicles cool

Nov, 03-2009 3:48 pm

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP – With the help of photovoltaic panels mounted on top of solar carports, New Jersey’s greenest college has begun harnessing solar energy radiating downward from 93 million miles away, enabling the school to lower its carbon footprint and give students the luxury of parking in the shade. 

Richard Stockton College of New Jersey officially flipped the switch at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 to dedicate the 851.8 kilowatt solar carport. 

While the ceremonial switching on of the power was moved indoors by rain, the rays of the sun still reached Parking Lot 7.

Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp Jr., New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Jeanne Fox and other officials gathered to dedicate the nation’s largest solar carport.   

The solar project was funded in part by rebates issued by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. 

The next phase of the solar initiative, to begin in the summer of 2010, will use $3.46 million in funding, the single largest grant for a construction project in Stockton’s history. It was awarded in August 2009 by the New Jersey BPU through the state’s Innovation in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy-Public Entities program. 

It will be Stockton’s first allocation of federal economic stimulus funding.

“Money invested in alternative energy is returned in energy savings,” Saatkamp said. “Energy from the sun is free, clean, noiseless and abundant.”

Stockton’s complete photovoltaic initiative totals 1.2 megawatts.

While the project was still under way, Saatkamp said, students would park farther away from the building just to have the shaded parking under the solar carports. 

“The funding will allow us to reinvest in sustainable technology for a greater return in energy efficiency,” he said. “Projects such as this one demonstrate our commitment to the green movement and to the responsible use of tax and tuition dollars.” 

Stockton also relies on other sources of renewable energy, he said. The college is home to the nation’s first aquifer thermal energy storage system.

Faculty and students are partnering with the Atlantic County Utilities Authority to determine potential wind turbine sites, Saatkamp said, and the college utilizes geothermal energy throughout the campus.    

-- Steve Prisament