University Solar Program

Multi-Institution | Off-Site | 4.2 MW

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Delivered a 4.2 MW first-of-its-kind multi-institution solar program, enabling CAD 690K annual savings with no upfront CAPEX while allowing colleges to transition toward 100% renewable electricity.

ROLE

Led program development and stakeholder coordination across universities, developer, and utility, enabling project structuring, approvals, and implementation readiness.

RESULT & IMPACT

1

4.2 MW capacity delivering 6.6 GWh annual generation

2

CAD 690K annual savings with no upfront CAPEX, strengthening financial flexibility and supporting campus expansion

3

Enabled multiple institutions to transition toward 100% renewable electricity

4

Established a replicable community-solar–like model for public institutions

5

Delivered a commercially viable and bankable structure for developers, enabling long-term scalability

PROBLEM

Annual electricity consumption of 1 GWh per college with rising costs limiting campus upgrades such as air-conditioned classrooms, new buildings and labs

Rooftop solar insufficient due to fragmented infrastructure, operational challenges, and limited scalability

No viable pathway to adopt off-site solar, institutions lacked CAPEX, operational capability, and governance flexibility to implement projects beyond campus boundaries

Open access was not financially viable due to high wheeling charges, cross-subsidy surcharge, and regulatory costs, making off-site solar uninvestable

SOLUTION

• Structured a Virtual Net Metering (VNM) program by aggregating multiple colleges under a single entity, enabling centralized solar generation with distributed energy offset

• Designed a consumption-based allocation model, where generated energy was proportionally offset across colleges based on their electricity usage

• Enabled adoption through a third-party owned model with long-term PPA with no upfront CAPEX, removing financial and operational burden on institutions

• Coordinated with utility and stakeholders to enable` interconnection and energy offset under evolving regulations

• Led stakeholder alignment across universities, developer, and utility, resolving governance and contractual challenges to enable multi-institution participation

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