UAB Launching New Solar Energy System
On a hot and cloudy day on the roof of UAB’s Campus Recreation Center, row upon row of solar panels are taking in the light. At just three stories, the roof and its new accessories can be seen from adjacent buildings in every direction.
“If you’re standing here and you look around 360 degrees people can see the system,” UAB’s sustainability coordinator, Julie Price, says that was intentional. “And I think that’s the first step to our mission as a sustainability program is public engagement.”
Rec Center patrons will also be able to see the system in action on a monitor inside the gym. But solar power does have some drawbacks. For example, it can take several years before UAB actually sees a return on its roughly $122,000 investment.
“Since we’re a tax-exempt institution, we can’t get the federal tax incentive, so our payback period is a little longer,” says Price. “Plus we have lower educational rates, which is beneficial for us but when you’re trying to pay back a system and you have inherently lower rates, that makes your payback a little bit longer.”
Esther Ciammachilli,WBHM
Closer view of the solar panels. These will produce roughly 10 percent of the Rec Center’s daily power usage.
The federal government does offer tax incentives to companies that install solar panels. This can make the payback time less than 10 years. But UAB is exempt, so their payback will be closer to 20 years. After that, Price says, the energy being produced by the system – roughly 10 percent of the Rec Center’s daily usage – will be free energy.
The project is part of a larger plan at UAB to use buildings as incubators for new sustainable technology, she adds.
‘Iced Cherries’: Joe D. Nelson’s take on modern folk and age old tropes
It may be unusual for a musician to refer to his own music as a trope. But that’s what Birmingham singer-songwriter Joe D. Nelson does with his latest album Iced Cherries.
Alabama carries out nation’s third nitrogen gas execution on a man for a hitchhiker’s killing
Carey Dale Grayson was executed at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in southern Alabama. He was one of four teenagers convicted of killing Vickie DeBlieux as she hitchhiked through the state on the way to her mother’s home in Louisiana.
You can sword-fight at this club. But no politics allowed
At the Pittsburgh Sword Fighters club, members are asked to leave their politics at the door, a rule that has led to closer relationships and more learning from one another.
How will China impact the future of climate change? You might be surprised
As a new Trump administration signals a retreat on climate action, China is stepping up. China is the biggest producer of climate technologies like electric vehicles and solar panels.
More than 100,000 pounds of ground beef are recalled for possibly having E. coli
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture alerted federal authorities about several illnesses in the past week.
President-elect set to shape ‘Trump judiciary’ for next generation
Legal experts predict President-elect Donald Trump will move quickly next year to cement and extend his legacy in appointing federal judges.
