By Monty Siekerman
Groundbreaking ceremonies will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday for a giant solar project on campus. The event is open to the public.

Nealy 18,000 panels that collect the sun's energy will be installed on about 11 acres of university-owned land along the east side of Klingler Road south of the stadium.

The project will produce two megawatts of electricity annually, or about 10% of ONU's electric consumption (or enough for 210 average homes.) It will reduce carbon emissions by 2,200 tons.

Under a 25-year power purchase agreement, ONU will purchase electricity directly from the array without needing to invest capital in the array’s construction and maintenance.  

GEM Energy of Walbridge, Ohio, is the solar project developer and will design, construct, operate, and maintain the ground-mounted solar array. Construction will be complete at the end of this year.

Using thin-film panels from First Solar, the array will include a tracker that moves panels to follow the sun, allowing maximum solar harvest.

ONU will include the solar array in its renewable energy curriculum. The new program will be led by GEM Energy and will include pilot student teams.

Participating in Tuesday's ceremony will be ONU President Daniel DiBiasio and Director of University Sustainability Terry Keiser as well as Jason Slattery, GEM Energy’s director of solar on the solar array construction and technology.

A sample solar panel will be signed by ONU representatives and displayed at the school to commemorate the special project.