GHG Emissions, Industrial, Solar  -  October 2, 2024

University of Arkansas System to Deploy 18 Solar Projects

The University of Arkansas (UA) System will help build 18 solar projects in 13 utility service territories for the entire university system.

Climate United announced $31.8 million in pre-construction financing to support Scenic Hill Solar’s groundbreaking solar project benefiting the entire University of Arkansas (UA) System. This marks Climate United’s first investment from the $6.97 billion it received from the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Clean Investment Fund and will facilitate the construction of the fourth-largest university deployment of renewable energy in the U.S. 

Climate United Fund, the prime grant recipient for the Climate United coalition and lender for this project, is financing pre-construction costs for Scenic Hill Solar to build 18 solar projects in 13 utility service territories. 

The majority of the project’s solar power plants will be built in rural areas.

The UA System is expected to save over $120 million in energy costs over the next 25 years, directly benefiting over 70,000 students and 17,000 employees across multiple campuses.

The project will generate over 4 billion kWh of clean electricity during the 40-year life of the solar power plants. 

“The UA System is proud to be a leader in the clean energy transition and help reduce air pollution across the state,” said Dr. Donald R. Bobbitt, president of the UA System, in a statement. “Through this partnership with Scenic Hill and Climate United, the premiere university system in Arkansas is significantly reducing energy costs, of which the savings will help us to continue to deliver world-class education to students and make larger impacts overall on our campuses, divisions and units.”

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