UC Davis together with SunPower dedicated University of California’s largest solar power plant for its campus. The 16.3MWac solar PV project was designed and built by SunPower and is expected to generate 14% of the campus’s total power needs. UC Davis plans to obtain 60% of its electricity needs from renewable and carbon-free resources by 2017.

The state of California aims to generate 50% of its power needs from renewable resources by 2020, while UC Davis’ 60% by 2017 target is ahead of the state’s goal basing on  a singular vision for integrating sustainable energy solutions. To achieve the goal, UC Davis has purchase solar and hydroelectric energy for the campus’ electricity demand. The 16.3MW PV plant is part of the university’s plan.

"This is a compelling example of how, with partners such as SunPower, we at UC Davis are reducing our carbon footprint," said UV Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi. "By taking steps to aggressively reduce our carbon emissions, we can set an example to the nation and the world of what can be achieved when we combine political will with science and innovation."

The university expects to reduce the campus’ carbon emission by 9%, or 14,000 metric tons per year by operating the large-scale solar system. The system is not only the largest solar installation in the UC system, but also the largest "behind the meter" solar plant on a U.S. college campus off-setting electricity demand.

"SunPower has been pleased to partner with the university, first on the landmark zero net energy UC Davis West Village community in 2011,” said Howard Wenger, SunPower president, business units. “And this year, on the completion of the 16MW plant we are celebrating today, the UC system's largest operating solar power plant.”

SunPower utilized its in-house developed SunPower Oasis® Power Plant system for the installation. The Oasis® technology is a fully-integrated, modular solar power block engineered to rapidly and cost-effectively deploy utility-scale solar projects while optimizing land use. The technology includes robotic solar panel cleaning capability designed by a SunPower innovation team based near UC Davis and uses 75% less water than traditional cleaning methods and may improve system performance by up to 15%.

SunPower installed four megawatts of solar panels for the UC Davis West Village neighborhoods where have a separate power grid. Furthermore, SunPower will also cooperate with the university to build another megawatt of solar capacity for the campus parking lots and buildings.

Last year, the University of California Office of the President announced to purchase more than 200,000 MWh of solar energy annually to supply several campuses, including UC Davis. In 2013, UC President Janet Napolitano committed the University of California system to a goal of net-carbon by 2025.

(Photo: Carbon Neutrality Student Fellow Naftali Moed finishes his remarks as Chancellor Katehi and VC-CFO Lawlor applaud. Source: UC Davis' blog)