University of Houston adopts solar array

The "switching on" coincided with the school's Green UH Day, which celebrated and raised awareness of green initiatives and programs.

The University of Houston and Green Mountain Energy flipped the switch on the university's new solar array on Nov. 2.

The new array was paid for by a $140,000 donation by Green Mountain Energy Sun Club SM. It is made of 88 photovoltaic panels that cover 2,000 square feet and will produce around 23,600 kilowatt hours of energy. The array will help school save $300,000 over its 30-year lifetime and reduce its carbon footprint by 31,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

"We are thrilled that UH, a highly regarded educational institution in Houston, is the recipient of this solar array from the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club," Green Mountain Vice President of Sales, Mark Lamping said in a press release.

The "switching on" coincided with the school's Green UH Day, which celebrated and raised awareness of green initiatives and programs.

The Sun Club, which funded the array, is a program that Green Mountain customers can support to help install solar panels in the state by paying an additional $5 on their bill. The program has also helped to install solar arrays in the Houston Zoo, Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council and other locations around the state.

For more information on Green Mountain Energy, visit www.gmsunclub.com.