BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In celebration of Earth Day and to promote clean, renewable energy development, the University at Buffalo and New York Power Authority (NYPA) will dedicate the UB Solar Strand, the 3,200-panel photovoltaic array, at an opening ceremony on Monday, April 23.

The event will take place at 11 a.m. at the UB Solar Strand on Flint Road on UB's North Campus, just north of Maple Road and across from the Center for Tomorrow.

The NYPA-funded Solar Strand project merges sustainability with art, serving as a striking new gateway to the university's North Campus. The installation will serve as a demonstration project to advance the development of solar technologies and as natural classroom for UB students and local schoolchildren.

The event will feature a ceremonial "throwing of the switch" to power up the Solar Strand to begin providing up to 750 kilowatts of electricity -- enough to power hundreds of student apartments on campus.