Creighton University’s new CL Werner Center for Health Sciences Education, currently under construction along U.S. Highway 75 between Burt and Cuming streets, will further demonstrate the University’s commitment to developing sustainable energy.
The roof of the $75 million, 130,000-square-foot structure will host a solar panel array that is smaller in size but more efficient than the array that until recently stood along Cuming Street. The new-technology panels will generate between 90 and 100 kilowatts compared to the maximum 85 kilowatts produced by the old panels.
Nor will the 10-year-old existing panels go to waste. Derek Scott, associate vice president for Facilities Management, says they will be repurposed.
“This gives the University an opportunity to redeploy the existing solar array in a meaningful way,” Scott says.
He says discussions are underway to determine the best opportunities for repurposing the solar panels. Partners in those discussion include Creighton’s College of Arts and Sciences, the energy program students, Facilities Management, the Office of Sustainability Programs, and the Treasurer’s Office.
Andrew Baruth, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences and a prominent advocate of solar technology, said the existing panels, which number 440, are being preserved and stored with a view to using them elsewhere on campus or donating them to community organizations.
Baruth said three senior students pursing majors related to sustainable energy science are currently investigating relocating the panels to the Creighton University Retreat Center near Griswold, Iowa. It would take only about half the panels to supply the center’s electricity needs, Baruth says. Other possibilities are also being considered.
Alex Webert, a senior in Creighton’s sustainable energy science program, says the hands-on experience of dismantling and repurposing a solar panel array is a rare opportunity to put theory into practice.
“In our courses we have had theoretical education doing something like this, but we’ve never actually had the real-world experience, so this is a first for us,” he says. “Everybody in this major wants to go into this field in the future, so it’s giving us experience that not only applies to our education but can go on a resume in the future.”
Carlos Ayala, also a senior in the program, says observing the communications process that goes into a solar panel relocation has been enlightening.
“It’s pretty cool that Dr. Baruth has the connections that allow us to work with people and see how the process works, not just in the classroom but the actual teamwork and all the communication that goes into something like this. It’s a lot more complex than you might realize.”
A part of that complexity, Baruth says, is identifying best uses for the old solar panels.
“While we are exploring some exciting opportunities on our own campus and retreat center, we understand that there may also be needs within our own community for access to gifted solar energy infrastructure,” he says.
“We are working to identify Creighton faculty, staff, and/or students, as well as community partners and nonprofits, that will help us ensure this infrastructure is distributed, cared for and recommissioned properly. This is a fantastic opportunity for Creighton University to give back to the community and be good stewards of our resources.”
