Southern Adventist University christened the Chattanooga area’s second-largest solar array Wednesday.
The 806-panel, 200-kilowatt system is second only to the Chattanooga Airport’s array, knocking the downtown BlueCross BlueShield array to third place.
“It’s great financially and it’s great for the environment and sustainability,” said Tom Verrill, the university’s vice president for finance. “It’s a win all around.”
The $843,000 system comes with a 30-year warranty and, thanks to government incentives and utility energy buy-back programs, the panels are expected to pay for themselves within seven years.
The green project, which has been generating power since mid-March, has positive effects beyond the financial and environmental gains. The project was student-driven, and serves as a lesson in ways to find sustainable business practices.