Solar Energy at UNCW

The Power of Solar: Solar Energy at the University of North Carolina Wilmington

by Ally Zimmerman

North Carolina has significant potential for solar energy. In the United States, North Carolina is one of the top leaders in solar generation.(1) The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) has started implementing solar panels throughout campus in an effort to support solar energy. Despite solar not being a main energy source at UNCW, solar power can be found around campus, often in places you wouldn’t even expect!(2)

Outside Randall Library, two solar umbrellas have been installed that allow people to charge USB devices. These umbrellas show users how much solar energy is being stored.(3) There are also solar-powered cross-city trail signs, a solar-powered GPS on bicycles for UNCW’s bike-sharing program, solar trash compactors and a solar heating system to maintain pool temperatures at UNCW’s Recreation Center.(2) Additionally, there’s a solar panel located in the DeLoach GeoGarden powering a rain barrel that sends water to native plants in the garden. See page 11 of this issue for an image of the DeLoach GeoGarden solar panel and to learn more about the GeoGarden (https://issuu.com/capefearsgoinggreen/docs/spring2022_vol.14-1).

Solar umbrellas have been installed in front of Randall Library on the UNCW campus.

photo by Shelby Diehl

Various departments and groups at UNCW work to support efforts to encourage solar energy on campus. Annie O’Neill, a UNCW Sustainability Peer Educator, says, “the UNC system has a goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 … one of the ways we want to approach that here at UNCW is through switching to renewable energy sources.”

UNCW Sustainability works to support and implement sustainable practices on campus. Peer Educators play a vital role in supporting these various sustainable practices and encouraging sustainability throughout campus. “Peer educators serve as a bridge between the Office of Sustainability and the rest of the UNCW community,” says O’Neill.

In fall 2021 the UNCW Office of Sustainability and the Student Government Association ran a Tealstarter, titled “UNCW Run on the Sun,” to raise money for solar panels on campus. O’Neill, who worked on the Tealstarter, says “the goal of the Tealstarter was to get the campus community excited about solar energy.” The campaign raised $2,655 to put towards solar energy on campus!(4)

Tealstarter is UNCW’s official proprietary crowdfunding platform, serving as a fundraising tool used by various UNCW groups such as student organizations, departments and more.(5)

For more information about solar energy and sustainability efforts on the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s campus, visit uncw.edu/sustainability/.

Each solar umbrella is equipped with three charging ports at the base and features an LED display that shows how much solar energy is currently stored.

photo by Shelby Diehl

Resources

(1) https://www.duke-energy.com/ourcompany/environment/renewable-energy/ solar-energy/solar-power-in-nc

(2) https://uncw.edu/sustainability/energy. html

(3) https://library.uncw.edu/news/ new_solar_umbrellas

(4) https://crowdfunding.uncw.edu/ project/27381

(5) https://crowdfunding.uncw.edu/about

Ally Zimmerman is a senior at the University of North Carolina Wilmington studying political science and environmental science with a concentration in conservation. She is an intern with Going Green through UNCW’s Environmental Sciences Department.