GW Looks to Expand Solar, Wind Power in Push to Reduce Coal Dependency

The GW Hatchet

The Office of Sustainability is taking steps to purchase more solar panels and partner with engineering professors to build a small-scale wind turbine this year, as GW tries to reduce its dependence on coal power over the next decade.

The solar panels would heat campus water systems and capture rays for electricity, Director of the Office of Sustainability Meghan Chapple-Brown said. GW will go forward with the plan if costs and zoning regulations are favorable, which would make it will be the first time the University uses solar energy for electricity on a larger scale, after having used solar panels on three residence halls to heat the buildings’ water for the past two years.