Some San Jose State students believe the university’s recent solar panel installations will benefit the environment.
In a Feb. 11 campuswide email Charlie Faas, the vice president for administration and finances, said solar panels were installed at SJSU’s Park and Ride lot, located along South 7th Street.
“The Energy and Utilities team achieved a major milestone with the completion of the south campus solar PV project at the park and ride lot,” Faas said in the email.
The Solar Photovoltaic project adds rooftop solar panels on 10 main campus roofs, along with the covered carport solar systems at south campus, according to the website.
The Energy and Utilities team is within the Facilities Development and Operation group under the Administration and Finance Division. The team implements sustainability projects on campus, according to its website.
Cynthia Soto, the executive assistant and operations coordinator for the administration and finance division, said the project began in 2019 when a power purchase agreement was signed.
In a solar power purchase agreement, a developer installs a solar energy system on a customer’s property at a low cost in exchange for the sale of electricity and tax credits, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association website.
Soto said it has taken two years to complete the solar panel installation
Installing solar panels reduces greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel dependency, according to an April 5, 2017 U.S. Green Building Council article.
Software engineering graduate student Ananth Upadhya said he was excited to hear SJSU is making an effort to protect the environment.
“The population of the country and the population of the whole is increasing at a faster pace,” Upadhya said in a Zoom interview. “Instead of depleting nature, we need to give back.”
Psychology senior Alejandra Jauregui said she didn’t know much about the solar panel project, but thinks it is an important one.
“I think that it’s a very positive change and I am happy about that,” Jauregui said in a Zoom interview.
She said students would love to see more initiatives besides the project.
“I would love to see [a place] where people can take their fruits and veggies, their scraps,” Jauregui said. “Maybe some workshops to teach [students] how to recycle or things we can do at home to save energy.”
Upadhya said he would be open to helping a sustainability project.
“It is always about giving back to the nature,” Upadhya said. “It is not only taking, but it is also giving back or at least giving back to the future generations.”
He said he is concerned not just about the present, but also the future.
“It’s not only for the present creatures, but it’s also for the future generations. When we see some of the problems, we have to resolve them and we have to give back,” Upadhya said. “We have to leave something for the future generations.”