“Shenandoah University Installs Largest Rooftop Solar Array among Va. Universities”

Virginia Business, November 15, 2019 by Richard Foster

This story came out of a press launch event when Erik was working in-house for Secure Futures Solar in Virginia. Shenandoah University installed about 500 kW of solar in three arrays, which may not be huge by the standards of solar farms that provide off-site solar power to other colleges and universities in Virginia. However, working with the university, Erik came up with the news angle that the combined arrays constituted the largest solar power system installed exclusively on rooftops at a Virginia higher education institution. This was the story that the news media picked up.

The event was a small one, featuring speakers from the university itself including the president and a member of the board of directors, along with the company’s CEO. However, pre-event publicity generated enough interest that the local state delegate attended, sitting in the audience. The event also generated half a dozen stories, including this one in Virginia Business as well as coverage in the Winchester Star, the local newspaper.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

With 1,337 solar panels spread across three buildings, Shenandoah University in Winchester now has the largest rooftop solar power system among the state’s colleges and universities, the university announced Friday.

“We are proud to highlight Shenandoah University’s belief in and dedication to environmental stewardship,” Shenandoah University President Tracy Fitzsimmons said in a statement. “With this installation, Shenandoah demonstrates not only the power of solar energy but also the power of people working together to create a better tomorrow.”