West Virginia Mountaineers seek solar for campus

A group of West Virginia University undergraduate students has launched a campaign to install solar at the university’s Morgantown campus. Members of the WVU Sierra Student Coalition (SSC), the national student chapter of the Sierra Club, are leading the charge. With support from other student groups, faculty supporters, alumni, and local Morgantown residents, the SSC is encouraging university administrators to install a solar array on campus this year.

“The main goal of our campaign is to help guide [WVU administrators] toward realizing the benefits of solar technology,” said SSC Vice-President David Buch. “We want to help them investigate this option and push them toward getting something done.”

The SSC is specifically advocating for the installation of a 50-kilowatt solar array on campus. This sized system would produce enough electricity to offset the majority of electricity needs for one major building. Potential sites include the Student Center or College of Law. “We’ve opened a dialogue with facilities management,” Buch said. “The position of the university seems to be that if the project can be made cost effective, they would be willing to move forward.”

The SSC and its allied groups are currently circulating a petition to demonstrate that the WVU community supports solar on campus. The petition has already garnered more than 300 signatures from WVU students, alumni, faculty members, employees, and Morgantown residents.

You can find out more about the WVU solar campaign here. And you can help spread the word! All current and former WVU students, employees, and local Morgantown residents are invited to sign the petition online. So please tell your friends, family members, and neighbors about this opportunity to help bring solar to our state’s flagship university!

WVU student group and faculty organizations are also invited to sign on and volunteer with the campaign. For more information and to sign on your student group or faculty organization, contact David Buch at dnbuch@mix.wvu.edu.