MEDIA ADVISORY: University of Richmond plans ribbon-cutting ceremony for solar array; President Crutcher, Gov. McAuliffe to speak

What: Ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate completion of the first solar array project installed in the Commonwealth under a new PPA pilot program

When: Tuesday, April 19, at 9:30 a.m.

Where: Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness rooftop. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on the patio beside the roof (east entrance of the Robins Center).

Details: University of Richmond President Ronald A. Crutcher, Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Tony Smith, president of Secure Futures will provide remarks about the 205-kilowatt photovoltaic solar array that was installed this month on the roof of the LEED-Gold certified Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness.

The 749 panels cover about 22,000 square feet of the rooftop. Seventy-six percent of the panels are bifacial, allowing them to collect direct solar energy from the front and ambient energy from the back.

The system was installed at the university through a solar power purchase agreement (PPA) with Secure Futures, a Staunton, Va.,-based solar developer. In 2013 the Virginia General Assembly enacted legislation creating a PPA pilot program in Dominion Virginia Power service territory.  

Media are asked to RSVP to Cynthia Price, cprice2@richmond.edu by 3 p.m. Monday, April 18. Parking is available in parking lot B5, across from the Robins Center. For directions, please visit campus maps.

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