Aman Mehta, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign junior in mechanical engineering and science, pushes green energy forward through his research and work at the Cache Energy startup. A dark-haired young man with eyes full of passion, Mehta is an international student born in Mumbai, India. A deforestation case in his home city inspired him to pursue.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Announces Final Stage of Ultra-Sustainable Solar Farm 2.0 Project
The Project Makes the U of I the Third-Largest Producer of Onsite Clean Power Among U.S. Universities
May 13, 2021 11:09 ET | Source: Sol Systems Sol Systems Washington, District of Columbia, UNITED STATES
CHAMPAIGN, IL, May 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Today, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Facilities & Services (F&S) announces the final stage of completion for Solar Farm 2.0, totaling 12.3 megawatts (DC), with the planting phase of the farm’s pollinator habitat commencing this month. The project is the second solar farm constructed at the U of I and achieves clean energy sustainability goals outlined in the university’s Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP), nearly four years ahead of schedule. Clean energy production will now support approximately 12 percent of the school’s annual electricity demand. The
The site’s 54 acres will serve as a major demonstration and research location for pollinator-friendly solar arrays. The University of Illinois Solar Farm 2.0 project exceeded the required 85 minimum points established by the State of Illinois’ Pollinator Friendly Solar Site Act. With 134 points achieved on the pollinator scorecard, including the adjacent landscape buffer, the solar array officially “Provides Exceptional Habitat.” The custom seed mix designed by Natural Resource Services, with more than 21 different plant types that are native to the area, will make the land between and around the panels more resilient and create a natural habitat for a variety of local and migratory birds and beneficial insects. In total, the site will contain more than 6.5 million flowering plants and native grasses.