Members of the Environmental Affairs Commission within Student Senate are pushing for more solar panels to be installed on campus.
Elaine Goetz, director of energy management, said the campus already has a reasonable amount of solar energy and they are always looking to install more. Despite the commission’s efforts, there are some restrictions.
“We don’t have a lot of winds and we don't have hydroelectric dams nearby or anything like that so solar is kind of the default for us,” Goetz said. “We’re space constricted, it would be difficult to install enough solar actually on our campus to make a huge dent in our electricity usage.”
Solar panels are made of solar cells, which are grouped together to make panels. These panels are then grouped together in what is known as an array, according to Sunrun, a solar energy provider.
Caden Hibbs, an environmental affairs commissioner in Student Senate, said that there has always been a drive toward renewable energy within the environmental world.
“Adding solar arrays is a huge part if we’re looking to transition to clean energy,” Hibbs said. “I personally feel like there is a huge need for it overall if we’re looking at being carbon neutral.”
Hibbs expressed concerns with how much the university would follow through on proposals regarding solar panels. He said in the past, the university has been set to put in more solar panels but has yet to follow through on those promises.
“The City of Athens has actually added solar arrays, and we haven't really looked to as much,” Hibbs said. “Granted, they have other budgetary options.”
Cynthia Jimenez, an environmental affairs vice-commissioner, said that the problem with finding locations to install new panels comes with the older infrastructure.
“It’s really hard to kind of have those buildings transition to solar energy because they are already so old,” Jimenez said. “I think (the university) understands that that’s kind of one of the next steps.”
Jimenez said it is going to be hard to see which direction this progress is going to take until the university says what their plans are.
“It’s hard to kind of work with them to implement that if they don't really have a clear idea as to where they want it to go,” Jimenez said. “I definitely think that education and advocating for it will play a big role in the future of getting it implemented here at OU.”
Environmental Affairs Senator, Ava Woods, said the commission understands that the university administration has other responsibilities apart from sustainability on their plate that may keep them from prioritizing the addition of more solar panels on campus. Woods said it is their job as an environmental commission to call them out and make sure it happens.
Sam Crowl, director of sustainability for OU, said that the issue of adding more solar panels is largely an economic choice just as much as the impacts on the environment or society.
“It has to make financial sense,” Crowl said. “So there's a commitment that the upper level of the university needs to make to financing this.”
Crowl said part of the recent stall in efforts is due to the third-party installers who are responsible for installing the electricity. The university would then pay per kilowatt hour at a certain rate to use the clean energy from the solar panels.
There has been discussion within the university and other third-party installation companies to negotiate costs and create contracts. When it became time to sign said contracts, Crowl said the prices per kilowatt hour had risen.
“At that higher price point, the upper administration didn't feel it was a good investment,” Crowl said. “We’re trying to find ways, more creative ways to kind of do those things internally.”
Crowl said he is confident the university has committed to becoming carbon neutral but without a strategy to achieve that they may not be as successful.
As for who is to make the decision to commit to adding more solar panels on campus, Crowl said it is up to the Board of Trustees to make that decision. Crowl also said the past initiatives suffered because of budget cuts a few years ago.
“It wasn’t the time to invest in something like that,” Crowl said. “But what’s really resilient about the university is we’ve bounced back ... I think we’re in a position of strength now.”
