UB Solar Strand hits milestone: 1 million kilowatt hours

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Barely a year old, the University at Buffalo’s Solar Strand has produced 1 million kilowatt hours of electricity.

The one-of-a-kind energy landscape, which is open for the public to visit, reached the milestone Tuesday.

According to 2011 data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average household in New York consumes 7,332 kilowatt hours of power per year. Based on that calculation, the Solar Strand has produced enough power for more than 136 households.

“Hitting the 1 million kilowatt hour mark ahead of our predictions is a great milestone for the Solar Strand and adds another piece of the puzzle in the UB’s effort to become climate neutral by 2030,” said Ryan McPherson, UB’s chief sustainability officer.

Located on UB’s North Campus near the Flint Road entrance, the Solar Strand contains 3,200 photovoltaic panels laid out in pattern of a DNA fingerprint. Designed by world-renown landscape artist Walter Hood, it is the nation’s most publicly accessible solar array.

UB flipped the switch on the Solar Strand on April 23, 2012. Nearly a year later, on April 22, UB officially opened the energy park to the public. A video of that event can be found here: http://bit.ly/10nf34P.

For more information about the Solar Strand, visit: http://www.buffalo.edu/sustainability/solar-strand.html.