Construction has started on a 20-MW solar farm near Pittsburgh International Airport that will supply electricity to the University of Pittsburgh for the next two decades.
Credit: University of Pittsburgh
Built on 68 acres on the border of Findlay Township in Allegheny County and Independence Township in Beaver County, the Gaucho Solar project is expected to be online in 2023 and will be one of the largest solar projects in Western Pennsylvania once operational, with about 55,000 solar panels generating electricity.
The project is being constructed by Texas-based Vesper Energy, which has partnered with the University of Pittsburgh via a power purchase agreement through which Pitt has secured 100% of the project’s energy and environmental attributes over the next 20 years.
Once operational, the Gaucho Solar project is projected to produce more than 35,700 MWh of electricity annually, covering about 18% of the Pittsburgh campus’ electricity usage per year and saving the university millions of dollars over the term of the contract. The project required no upfront capital or maintenance costs for the University and will give Pitt price certainty throughout the contract.
“The University of Pittsburgh is fully committed to achieving carbon neutrality for our Pittsburgh campus by 2037, with local, renewable energy getting us one-third of the way there,” said Aurora Sharrard, executive director of sustainability at Pitt. “We are very excited for Vesper’s Gaucho Solar facility to be the largest contributing renewable asset to date for the university’s goals of producing or procuring 50% of our total Pittsburgh campus electricity from renewables by 2030 and 100% by 2037.”
The array will incorporate pollinator-friendly landscaping and an observation area will be built adjacent to the system for Pitt students to incorporate it into the school’s curriculum.
“Vesper Energy is proud to partner with the University of Pittsburgh to help achieve their goal of 100% renewable electricity powering the campus. Gaucho Solar is our first project to reach construction in the Keystone State. With great partners like the University of Pittsburgh, we plan to bring more clean energy projects online in Pennsylvania in the near future,” said Craig Carson, CEO of Vesper Energy.
Construction on the project will continue through the winter, with the facility expected to begin generating renewable electricity by mid-2023.
News item from the University of Pittsburgh
Credit: Tom Altany/University of Pittsburgh
