NEW YORK — ABM, a leading provider of facility solutions, announced that its energy business has started construction on a 2 MW solar array to be implemented on Cornell University’s campus in Ithaca, N.Y., representing the university’s first large solar installation. ABM will provide engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and operations and maintenance (O&M) services. ABM joint venture partner Building Energy will finance and own the solar power plant in partnership with Distributed Sun LLC, which developed the project for Cornell.
The 6,500+ panel ‘Lansing’ solar array will provide Cornell University with fixed, low-cost energy rates over the life of the 30-year agreement, allowing the school to save money as utility costs are expected to rise in the coming years.
“We are pleased to partner with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Distributed Sun LLC, and ABM to launch Cornell’s first large solar project,” said Kyujung Whang, Cornell vice president for facilities services. “This facility represents a significant step to advance Cornell’s clean energy portfolio. The Lansing solar facility aligns with carbon reduction goals of Cornell, Tompkins County, and New York State.”
The system is expected to generate just over 2.2 million kilowatt hours (kWh) per year on average. In addition, a section of the plant will be designated for academic use, which allows students physical access to manipulate 10 solar panels and access to the Web-based dashboard of the solar array’s state-of-the-art monitoring software. It is planned that energy and real-time energy use data will be publicly available on the Web.
“ABM is honored to have been selected to install Cornell University’s first solar array,” said Ted O’Shea, ABM energy business vice president. “We continue to focus on developing clean, renewable energy projects that reduce our client’s utility costs, increase power reliability, and enhance their position as leaders of sustainability.”
“Distributed Sun selected ABM and Building Energy to ensure Cornell’s exacting requirements for savings, quality and energy assurance are all met,” said Jeff Weiss, Distributed Sun co-chairman. “We are thrilled that Cornell trusted us to deploy its first third-party energy supply agreement.”
The multi-year, multi-million dollar contract represents the second project for ABM’s recent joint venture with Building Energy, an Italian-based independent power producer, which added further expertise to ABM’s renewables team.
ABM’s capabilities include facilities engineering, energy solutions, HVAC, electrical, and more, provided through stand-alone or integrated solutions. For more information, visit www.abm.com.
Publication date: 4/7/2014
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