Solar at Antioch University New England
Kate is a graduate pupil at Antioch University New England finding out Environmental Education.
This visitor weblog publish is written by Kate Witte, a graduate pupil at Antioch University New England finding out Environmental Education. She is the Education and Outreach Coordinator for Glover’s Ledge and is captivated with connecting folks to nature.
This fall, the Antioch University Board of Governors permitted the set up of a 141kW ground-mounted solar array at Glover’s Ledge in Langdon, New Hampshire. Glover’s Ledge is an Antioch University New England stewarded property used for out of doors recreation, pupil and school analysis, and biodiversity conservation. Our choice to put in solar was based mostly on offering analysis alternatives for college kids and school concerned in sustainable growth, in addition to furthering our dedication to environmental sustainability.
Photo Credit: Antioch University New England
At Glover’s Ledge, timber on an acre of land had been cleared for the development of the array, and of that acre, lower than half was stumped for the set up of the solar racking and panels. Trees on the perimeter of the world bigger than 15 inches in diameter had been eliminated to maximise daylight penetration. Although the location was an outdated gravel pit, it definitely appears counterintuitive for a property targeted on ecological conservation, training, and analysis to transform a portion of the land that might develop forest to a non-forest use. However, the solar array is furthering our dedication to training and conservation. Data from the array will probably be displayed on a stay monitoring feed. This gives a chance for our college students in sustainable growth packages to work with uncooked solar knowledge and broaden their data of different energy in actual time.
Glover’s Ledge array after a snowstorm
As properly as furthering pupil studying, the array can be serving to us with our dedication to ecological conservation by offering a chance for habitat restoration. Land throughout the cleared space, together with the house between the rows of panels, will probably be seeded and planted as a pollinator meadow and open subject. These ecosystems are useful for bees, butterflies, bats, and different pollinators. The cleared space on the sting of the forest will probably be maintained as early successional shrub-scrub habitat. The tall grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs that can develop will profit quite a few wildlife species notably small mammals and distinctive songbirds.
Finally, this solar array is a crucial step in our dedication to mitigating the local weather disaster. Solar energy is a nearly limitless clear energy supply that doesn’t require the extraction of fossil fuels. Carbon emissions from fossil fuels are accountable for a lot of the local weather change we’re experiencing globally. Solar farms and rooftop solar are within the high 10 local weather options in response to Project Drawdown, essentially the most complete plan ever proposed to reverse world warming. This solar array is a crucial local weather mitigation instrument and academic instrument, and we’re so excited to be producing clear energy at Glover’s Ledge!
