Cut electricity costs
~$520k in annual savings and a payback under nine years, with a 25-year savings stream of roughly $13M.
01 · Financial
Northgate University
Facilities & Sustainability · Project Proposal
Powering the campus
with the sun.
A 2.4 MWp photovoltaic program to cut electricity costs, secure supply, and anchor the university's 2035 net-zero commitment.
Explore the proposal
Prepared for the Capital Approval Committee · March 2026
Northgate University · Campus Solar Initiative
Est. first power · Q1 2028
Executive summary
The case for approval,
in four numbers.
0MWp
Rated capacity — rooftops, carports & ground array
0GWh/yr
Clean electricity generated — 26% of campus load
$0k/yr
Estimated savings on electricity — payback under 9 years
0t CO₂/yr
Carbon avoided — the largest single step to net-zero 2035
One integrated program: 2.4 MWp of photovoltaic generation, 1.5 MWh of battery storage, and a campus-wide monitoring lab. Estimated capital cost $4.8M — offset by a state clean-energy grant and the federal investment tax credit. All figures are preliminary engineering estimates.
Project objectives
Five goals, one program.
Renewable supply
Meet 26% of campus electricity from the sun — the university's single largest renewable generation asset.
02 · EnergyA living laboratory
Engineering, data-science and sustainability curricula run directly on the array's live generation data.
03 · EducationResilience
1.5 MWh of battery storage keeps research buildings and the data center online through grid events.
04 · ReliabilityNet-zero 2035
This initiative delivers ~1,950 tCO₂ avoided per year — roughly a third of the remaining gap on the university's net-zero roadmap.
05 · ClimateWhy now
The economics have
turned in our favor.
-
4.1%
Rate escalation — campus electricity rates have risen 4.1%/yr since 2018, compounding the value of every kWh we generate.
-
$800k
State clean-energy grant — available now, allocated on a first-approved basis.
-
30%
Federal ITC — the investment tax credit is at its current level; a full program qualifies.
-
2035
Net-zero commitment — delaying a year pushes the target out of reach without buying expensive offsets.
Scope & site
Where the sun lands.
4,800modules · 500 Wp bifacial
14,200 m²rooftops + 2 carports + ground array
12inverters · 200 kW string
1.5 MWhbattery storage · island-capable
25 yrperformance warranty · 0.45%/yr degradation
Livemonitoring + weather station · curriculum API
Siting follows a 2025 feasibility study of 22 buildings — the five selected roofs, two carports and one ground parcel maximize yield with zero impact on green space or athletics fields.
Estimated budget
$4.8M, engineered
line by line.
PV modules & racking
$1.62M
Construction & engineering
$1.19M
Inverters & electrical
$0.91M
Battery storage · 1.5 MWh
$0.69M
Soft costs · permits, studies, grid
$0.39M
Total estimated capital
$4.8M · ≈ $2.00 / Wp
Funding stack
State clean-energy grant$800k
Federal ITC · 30%$1.44M
University capital budget$1.16M
Net university outlay$1.16M
Payback on the net outlay: ≈ 2.2 years of savings. The remainder is carried as a funded energy-services agreement.
Implementation timeline
Eighteen months
to first power.
Phase
M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 M10 M11 M12 M13 M14 M15 M16 M17 M18
Funding & approval
Design & engineering
Procurement
Construction · rooftops
Construction · carports & ground
Commissioning & handover
Milestone — first power: Month 18 (Q1 2028). Construction is scheduled around the academic calendar; rooftop work runs through the summer window to keep campus disruption near zero.
Energy & savings
What the sun
delivers, yearly.
0MWh/yr
Generated on campus — sold first to the university, surplus to the grid
$0M / 25 yr
Cumulative savings at 2% rate escalation, net of O&M
Environmental benefits
Measured in carbon,
water and air.
0t CO₂/yr
≈ 48,800 tonnes avoided over 25 years — the grid mix we displace, per EPA eGRID factors.
0homes/yr
Equivalent annual electricity use of ~290 average households powered by the sun.
0cars/yr
Emissions equal to taking ~420 passenger cars off the road every year.
0M gal/yr
Cooling water avoided at thermal plants — ~1.9 million gallons each year.
Beyond the numbers: a visible climate commitment for students, faculty and donors — the array becomes the campus's public face of the 2035 net-zero pledge.
Financial return
A project that pays
for itself.
≈ 9.0 yr
Simple payback on gross capex
≈ 2.2 yr
Payback on net university outlay
≈ 11%
Internal rate of return · 25 yr
$2.4M
Net present value @ 5% discount
Assumptions: 2026 US$ · 2%/yr rate escalation · 0.45%/yr degradation · $18/kW-yr O&M · 1% annual inflation on operating costs. Sensitivities reviewed in Appendix B — the project remains NPV-positive down to a 20% tariff discount and a 10% cost overrun.
Risks & mitigation
We priced the
things that could go wrong.
RiskMitigation
Intermittent generation
1.5 MWh storage + grid-export agreement + demand-shifting of campus loads to solar hours.
Cost overrun
Fixed-price EPC contract · 10% contingency line · phased funding gates tied to design completion.
Campus disruption
Rooftop work confined to the summer window; logistics plan approved by Campus Operations; zero green-space impact.
Long-term performance
25-yr performance warranty (0.45%/yr) · 10-yr O&M contract · live monitoring with alert thresholds.
Policy / tariff shift
ITC and grant are locked at contract signature; rate risk is hedged by the escalation assumption and 20-yr PPA backstop.
Recommendation
Approve the Campus
Solar Initiative.
$4.8M program · 26% renewable supply · under 9-year payback · 1,950 t CO₂ avoided each year. The sun is the cheapest energy the university will ever sign.
01
Approve funding · Q2 2026
02
Finalize design & PPA · Q4 2026
03
Construct · summer 2027
04
First power · Q1 2028
Facilities & Sustainability · [email protected] · Prepared with Loom — AI-assisted project development