We have four different solar installations at the Outdoor Center. The eight tracking arrays in the upper field were installed in 2010, the array on the roof of the activity center came online in 2014, the maintenance area arrays were installed in 2019, and the new array at Hosmer Point was installed in 2023. The three older arrays produce about 135,000 kWh/year. The new array installed on abandoned tennis courts at Hosmer Point is predicted to produce over 200,000 kWh/year, for a total of at least 335,000 kWh/year. The Outdoor Center and Hosmer Point camp combined use approximately 300,000 kWh of electricity every year, meaning that we should cover 100% of our on-campus electricity use, and hopefully we will produce enough to cover our remote athlete houses as well. Our electricity use has gone up quite a bit with the addition of the new dining hall—but that was on purpose. We are replacing most of the propane use of the building with greener electricity for heat pumps and ovens. We are trying to decarbonize our energy use by electrifying everything we can and then producing green electricity with solar panels.
All of our photovoltaic systems are grid-tied, meaning that the power produced by the solar panels is fed back into the power grid for distribution when production exceeds the Center’s immediate needs. This net-metering arrangement allows us to receive credit for the electricity our panels produce and then draw it back out when needed without requiring on-site batteries.
You may notice that the solar trackers in the field change orientation throughout the day. The panels use GPS to track the path of the sun throughout the day, keeping them in an optimal position for generating energy. Each panel is equipped with an anemometer to measure wind speed, and as a protective measure they are programmed to face directly upward if a the wind is strong enough to cause damage. They also face directly upward at night. If you catch them right around sunrise, you can see the panels "wake up" by turning on and swiveling to face the sun.