The University of Pittsburgh’s solar installations and partnerships are both on- and off-site.
Rooftop Solar
The University of Pittsburgh has rooftop solar installations dating back to 2012, with additional solar installations in design & construction. multiple — and is planning for additional future installations. Current on-site renewable installations on Pitt owned buildings include the following.
Pittsburgh Campus
- Petersen Sports Complex (68.4 kW) – Installed in 2024. Check out real-time electricity production from this array.
- Ruskin Hall (136.8 kW) – Operational in 2025, this first solar installation on a Pitt residence hall generates 15% of the dorm’s annual electricity use (enough to cover all common areas).
Bradford Campus
- George B. Duke Engineering & Information Technologies Building (108 kW) – Installed in 2022, this array has a student-designed dashboard in design and was funded by Met-Ed/Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund. Check out real-time electricity production from this array.
- McDowell Field House (2.6 kW solar installation) – Installed in 2014, this Northwest Pennsylvania rooftop solar array produces ~2,500 kWh annually.
Additional Pittsburgh campus rooftop solar installations are in design and construction phases for a number of buildings, including (but not limited to):
- Arena & Sports Performance Center
- BioForge
- Center for Biotechnology & Bioengineering
- David Lawrence Hall
- Fifth & Halket
- Hillman Library
- Recreation & Wellness Center
- Posvar Hall
- Scaife Hall
- Other buildings TBA
The following rooftop solar array is on a Pitt occupied building:
- Energy GRID Institute (~50 kW rooftop solar array) – Installed in Spring 2020 to serve the Pitt Energy GRID Institute’s Electric Power Technologies Laboratory research (in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District), a leased space in the Energy Innovation Center.
The Pittsburgh campus’s first rooftop solar array is still used for research:
- Benedum Hall (4.32 kW)
- Installed in 2012, this array is for research purposes, including 18 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at different tilts (25 degrees and 45 degrees) and positioned in 3 directions (East, South, and West). Since March 2022, it has been connected to a Swanson School of Engineering research picogrid and formerly produced ~4,000 kWh annually on average.
- Check out past real-time generation data of electricity from this array.
University of PIttsburgh at Bradford rooftop solar array being installed on the George B. Duke Engineering & Information Technologies Building
Gaucho Solar (Off-site)
The University of Pittsburgh is committed to producing or procuring at least 50% renewables for its electricity by 2030 and 100% by 2037.
One mechanism for achieving our renewables goal is long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs), of which Pitt has two for local, renewable electricity. Combined, these agreements will combine to supply 42% of the Pittsburgh campus’s future electricity use, keeping the University on track to reach its strategic renewables goal.
In the solar space, Pitt is purchasing all of the renewable electricity produced by Vesper’s 20-megawatt Gaucho Solar power facility just 25 miles from the Pittsburgh campus (on the border of Allegheny and Beaver Counties); this 68 acre project became operational in June 2023. Gaucho is currently generating ~18% of Pitt’s annual electricity.
Beyond making Pitt’s energy sourcing more sustainable, the proposed solar power facility will be able to be used as a living laboratory for student learning and research.
At Pitt’s request, Vesper installed pollinator-friendly landscaping at the site, in line with Pitt’s Sustainable Landscape Design Guidelines.
Interested in learning more? Contact us!