Photo courtesy Robert Gill

With its goal of reducing carbon pollution by 50% by 2025, Dartmouth College is taking a strong leadership position to help solve one of the region’s most difficult environmental problems. “Eventually, we would like to get at least 20% of our electricity from sunshine” said Abbe Bjorklund, Dartmouth’s director of engineering and utilities.

After an intensive search for a solar energy partner, Dartmouth selected ReVision Energy to install 450 solar panels atop the Berry Sports Center, which will soon be harnessing northern New England’s abundant solar resource to help reduce the college’s energy costs and carbon footprint. To increase the college’s long-term return on the solar investment, Dartmouth and ReVision Energy have entered into a solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). This enables the college to acquire clean, renewable solar electricity at zero up front cost with an option to buy the solar array in the future at a significant discount from the initial system cost. The Berry Sports Center array is the third solar project installed by ReVision Energy at Dartmouth in 2017 through the PPA.

It’s no coincidence that Dartmouth is located in Hanover, NH, one of the first municipalities in New England to announce its ambitious plans to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050.