CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Several North Carolina colleges are teaming up for a unique partnership to expand renewable energy. 

What You Need To Know

  •  Nine colleges joined forces to get a new solar facility online 

  •  The facility will be located in Kentucky 

  •  A Davidson College staffer says the partnership will reap plenty of benefits for the campus 

Davidson College, Wake Forest University and Elon University have teamed up with several higher education institutions in Pennsylvania for the Sebree Solar II Project, which will bring a large-scale solar facility online in western Kentucky. 

According to a press release, the collaboration is part of a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA).

It delivers the benefits of renewable energy through a deal described as “typically only feasible for large customers.”

Due to distance, electricity generated by the new solar facility cannot be transmitted directly to the campuses, but college leaders say despite the distance, they’ll be reaping plenty of benefits. 

Yancey Fouché serves as the director of sustainability at Davidson College. 

Fouché says the partnership fits right into the college’s five-year Climate Action Plan, which focuses on reducing Davidson’s institutional greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change.

The VPPA allows Davidson College to earn credits that offset 100% of the campus electricity usage, which will reduce the college’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. 

“We will continue to buy our energy from Duke Energy and work with them, but at the same time we’re going to be investing with these other schools in a new renewable energy project in Kentucky,” Fouché said. “The electrons there will go right into the Kentucky grid to help people there transition away from coal and use more renewable energy in that area. We’ll have a tool, Renewable Energy Certificates, to help us balance the amount of electricity we’re using on campus. As we look ahead, we’re making plans to bring renewable energy here on site as well, but we wanted to do something big as quickly as we could, knowing the seriousness of climate change. So this is our first big step.” 

Fouché hopes this announcement motivates others to take global responsibility seriously.

“It’s a pretty natural human response to say, ‘I’m only one person what can I do,’” Fouché said. “But I hope this is a sign that this deal was really a product of a small number of individuals, seeing an opportunity and deciding to prioritize that and work together. I hope folks realize there is a way to do your part.”

Construction on the Sebree Solar II Project is slated to begin in 2025. It’s expected to be in full operation by the end of 2026.

The additional participating campuses include Lafayette College, Dickinson College, Swarthmore College, Haverford College, Muhlenberg College and Lehigh University.