The more than 2,800 165-watt solar panels built on the southwest side of the campus, combined with more than 3000 75-watt panels on CSUN's north side, are expected to save the university more than $140,000 annually in energy costs while at the same time contributing to a cleaner environment. Together, the installations constitute one of the largest solar electric systems at a public university in California.

The latest $3.5 million project was developed by the university's Physical Plant Management in partnership with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the Southern California Gas Company.

"Cal State Northridge is deeply committed to be a leader in its sustainability efforts and will continually seek new and innovative technologies to reduce its energy bills," said Mohammad Qayoumi, CSUN's vice president of administration and finance. "This project is a good example of our efforts to promote environmentally friendly technologies, support energy conservation and reduce energy costs.

"The project also provided a wonderful opportunity for us to work again collaboratively with LADWP and The Gas Company, as well as within the campus between academic and administrative divisions, to do something that benefits everyone," Qayoumi said.

LADWP and The Gas Company officials will present the university with incentive checks totaling more than $2.1 million during a special ceremony to dedicate the new facility at 10 a.m. on April 19.

The ceremony coincides with the university's EarthFair 2005, marking the 35th anniversary of Earth Day. The fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the Matador Bookstore near the center of the campus.

The 2,832 solar modules are doubling as shading in faculty parking lot B2 on the southwest end of the campus near Nordhoff Street and Darby Avenue. Each module can generate up to 165 watts of power, producing a peak generating capacity of 467 kilowatts. Much of this power will be generated exactly when it is needed most, between 1 and 5 p.m. during summer months, thus saving the most energy dollars.

Photovoltaic cells in the panels absorb the sun's rays, creating direct current power that is directed to a substation where it is converted to AC (alternating current) power. It is then increased to 4,160 volts of energy and fed into a power grid that distributes electricity throughout the campus.

In addition to saving energy, the use of the photovoltaic cells is also easing the impact of older technology on the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, by using 467 kilowatts of photovoltaic capacity, one can reduce carbon emissions equal to the amount emitted by an average passenger car driving 1.5 million miles.

The latest solar project's installation, completed while students and faculty still used the lot for parking, was overseen by a team of CSUN engineering students who even redesigned some of the installation equipment to make the process more user friendly.

"Staging large sections of panels overhead, and leaving the parking lot open during regular hours, created a logistical problem that has never been encountered in other similar construction projects," said Josh Gallo, a senior in electrical engineering who served as the project manager. "Then we designed and built this device that fits onto the forklift that allows the panels to be easily slid on and off. Its so easy that a few people could do the work by themselves."

Gallo said his work on the project has given him learning experiences that he would have been hard pressed to find in a classroom alone.

"It has given me the opportunity to come up with real solutions for real-life problems, just like any job I might find myself in after I graduate," he said.

Cal State Northridge is considered a leader in energy conservation among universities across the country. Only four years ago the university was hailed by the Clean Air Coalition for its use of alternative energy.