On Valentines Day, the University of Maryland, College Park agreed to install one of the largest photovoltaic (PV) rooftop solar energy systems in the entire state atop its Severn Building — a building that stands roughly one mile away from the main College Park campus. University officials also announced that they will use a $630,000 grant from the state’s Sunburst Initiative Program to fund a majority of the installation. The Sunburst funds are meant to help fund renewable energy projects at public buildings throughout the state, and the University of Maryland is one of the first public schools in the state to receive funding through the program. The rest of the $2.6 million project will be funded by Washington Gas Energy services.

University of Maryland recently bought the former Washington Post printing press and, after installing the PV solar energy system atop it, the school will transform it into a multi-purpose center with a combination of offices and trade shops. When the solar energy system is completely built and installed this summer, the Washington Post reports that the more than 2,500-panel system will be able to produce 792 megawatt-hours (mWh) of electricity each year and annually reduce the carbon footprint of the entire university by over 600 tons.

Here’s Ann Wylie, Vice President of Administrative Affairs and Chair of the University on the University’s most recent environmental endeavour:

“The University is committed to addressing the significant challenges of this generation, including environmental sustainability, climate change, and renewable energy. The use of solar energy – a clean energy source that produces no greenhouse gases – will move us another step closer to achieving our vision for a greener campus embodied in the university’s Strategic Plan.”

The University of Maryland has been one of many schools at the forefront of the renewable energy movement at public schools around the country. In May 2007, it was one of about 700 schools to sign the American College & University President’s Climate Commitment. Just two years later, the University released a blueprint to become a carbon neutral campus by 2050.