UW-Superior powering up new solar array project

SUPERIOR, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Superior is about to power up a new project.

A solar array, two years in the making, is set to go live this spring, generating between five and fifteen percent of campus power needs.

The 440-kilowatt, ground-mounted array was installed this summer southwest of Ross Hall on former soccer fields.

Project leaders say it won’t just cut utility costs, it will also give students hands-on learning opportunities.

“This will kind of act as a living classroom, it’ll help us understand how the solar array interacts with the environment, with wildlife, with insects, what kind of low growth vegetation actually works with this kind of array.”

Completed in July, the project is expected to save 500,000 kilowatt-hours each year, reducing annual energy costs by about $45,000.