How much energy will the Solar Strand produce? What will it power?

• The Solar Strand’s capacity is 750,000 watts. That’s enough to power hundreds of student apartments.
• The Solar Strand’s energy will not feed the apartments directly, but contribute to the North Campus’s overall energy needs.

What are the cost savings?

• The Solar Strand will save more than $60,000 in electricity costs per year.
• It will reduce UB’s carbon emissions by a few hundred metric tons annually.

What are the economic and social benefits of this project?

• The array’s purpose is not only to reduce utility costs, but to support the growth of the solar industry and the creation of green jobs locally.
• Besides producing energy and supporting green industry, the array is a natural classroom where UB students and schoolchildren will learn about sustainability.

What makes this project unique?

• This solar installation is the largest on a New York state campus and among the largest on any campus in the country
• What makes this project truly unique is that it moves beyond simply obtaining carbon neutrality and lessening our environmental footprint. It also welcomes students, faculty, staff and community members to campus through a connected cultural and natural landscape.
• This will be one of the most publicly accessible renewable energy parks across the globe.

Do the cost savings warrant spending $7 million on this project?

• The Solar Strand is a demonstration project that helps advance the development of solar technologies statewide.
• As more solar projects are launched, the costs go down and the cost savings go up; the technology becomes less expensive and more efficient.
• In the long-term, the Solar Strand is an important step forward  to develop an industry that potentially will produce millions of dollars in energy savings while reducing the harmful effects of carbon emissions.

The original plan called for installing a 1.1 MW solar strand, why is the finished project 750 kW?

• As often happens with large projects, the scale of the Solar Strand was adjusted in consultation with the contractor, based on projected costs and available space. 
• The goals of the project remained unchanged and were accomplished.  This is still one the largest ground-mounted solar installations in the state.

Is solar really a practical energy source?

• Yes, when understood as part of a larger assortment of renewable energy and conservation strategies. 
• Conventional modes of energy production will not be able to meet all our future needs.
• Solar energy production is becoming more efficient and less costly as new technologies are invented.
• Demonstration projects like the Solar Strand are helping us identify best practices in solar energy production.

Given the Buffalo’s weather, is this really an ideal place for a massive solar project?

• Yes it is. Contrary to the conventional wisdom about Buffalo's weather, data from the National Weather Service shows that from May through November, Buffalo is the sunniest and driest city in the Northeast, making it an ideal candidate for generating solar power.

How much power is produced on a particularly rainy and overcast day?

• On a recent overcast day, during our test the Solar Strand, the strand produced more power than a WNY house consumes in a month.  Even on a stormy day, the strand is generating power.
• On recent sunny days, the Solar Strand outperformed our power estimates.
• One of the purposes of the Solar Strand is to perform research on how much solar power can be generated in different weather conditions. For our research, rainy and snowy days are just as useful as sunny days.