FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
UH: Maria Honey, 832-842-9040 or mhoney@central.uh.edu
Green Mountain: Marci Grossman, 602.694.8972 or
marci.grossman@greenmountain.com
University of Houston and Green Mountain Energy Company “Flip
the Switch” for University’s First Solar Array
HOUSTON – The University of Houston is now partially powered by the sun, thanks to Green Mountain
Energy Company and its customers. Green Mountain, Texas’ first competitive retail electric provider to offer
cleaner energy, donated $140,000 to the University through the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club SM to fund
UH’s first solar array system.
Green Mountain Energy® Solar at University of Houston
The new 20.24 kilowatt (kW) DC solar panel system is mounted on the roof of the University’s Central Utility
Plant, which is located on the northeast side of campus. It will help reduce the University of Houston’s carbon
footprint and energy costs and serve to educate students about the benefits of solar energy.
Green Mountain Vice President of Sales, Mark Lamping and the company’s Super Earth Mascot joined UH
Program Coordinator for Sustainability, Leah Wolfthal; Steve Stelzer, City of Houston’s Program Director of
Green Building Resource Center; and UH’s Recycle Man to officially “flip the switch” of the solar array during a
ceremonial dedication at UH. The event coincided with the University’s Green UH Day, a campus-wide event to
celebrate and raise awareness about green initiatives and programs at the University.
“We are thrilled that UH, a highly regarded educational institution in Houston is the recipient of this solar array
from the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club,” said Lamping. “Green Mountain has been serving customers
throughout Houston and the surrounding communities since 2002. Donating a solar system like this one helps us
give back to the communities where our customers live, work, shop and play, while supporting our mission to
change the way power is made.”
The new solar panel system is the first solar array to power a University of Houston building. The array’s 88 large
photovoltaic (PV) solar panels cover 2,000 square feet and will convert sunlight into electricity, producing
approximately 23,600 kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean energy annually. It is estimated that the solar array will save
the University as much as $300,000 over the course of its 30-year lifetime1.
The solar array will also have a positive impact on the environment. It is expected to avoid over 31,000 pounds
of carbon dioxide annually. That is equivalent to more than 9,000 houses turning off all their lights for one day,
not driving nearly 35,000 miles, taking 1,000 cars off the road for one day or recycling 12,500 lbs of newspaper.
(more)
Green Mountain/UH Solar – Page 2
Green Mountain’s Sun Club, which funded the University of Houston’s solar array, is a unique program in which
Green Mountain’s Texas customers can choose to support solar energy installations in Texas by paying an
additional $5 on their monthly Green Mountain Energy® electric bill (for information, visit
www.gmsunclub.com). This is Green Mountain’s 32nd solar installation through the Sun Club since 2002 when
the program was launched.
Additionally, the Green Mountain Sun Club has previously made 11 other solar donations to Houston-area
organizations including: the Houston Zoo, Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, Chinquapin School, and Houston
Habitat for Humanity.
“We are very thankful to Green Mountain Energy for helping us take this significant step in the University of
Houston’s clean energy journey to treat the earth right,” said Wolfthal.
Green Mountain Energy Company Solar Internship Program
As a result of the annual electricity savings that UH will receive from the solar array, the University has launched
the Green Mountain Energy Company Solar Internship program. One student intern will be paid $1,000 per academic
semester from the savings generated as a result of using the solar panels. The internship will run through May
2012. The intern will keep track of the solar arrays’ performance, update the Green Mountain Energy® Solar
Array webpage and execute one on-campus educational event each semester.
“We are very excited about the first-ever Green Mountain Energy Company Solar Internship program! We look
forward to hearing about the results of the solar array’s performance and the campus educational events,” said
Lamping.
As part of the donation, an educational sign will be installed on the UH campus to inform students about the
solar array, how it works and its environmental benefits. The solar panels were installed by Alternative Power
Solutions. The general contractor for the project was Vaughn Construction.
About University of Houston
The University of Houston is a comprehensive national research institution serving the globally competitive
Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry
partnerships. UH serves more than 38,500 students in the nation’s fourth largest city, located in the most
ethnically and culturally diverse region of the country.
About Green Mountain Energy Company
Green Mountain, the nation’s leading competitive retail provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset solutions,
was founded in 1997 “to change the way power is made.” The company is the longest serving green power
marketer in the United States. Green Mountain offers consumers and businesses the choice of cleaner electricity
products from renewable sources, such as wind, as well as a variety of carbon offset products. Green Mountain’s
largest customer is the “world’s most famous office building,” the Empire State Building in New York City.
Green Mountain customers have collectively helped avoid over 11.3 billion pounds of CO2 emissions. As a
wholly owned subsidiary of NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG), Green Mountain is backed by one of the nation’s
largest renewable power producers. For more information, visit GreenMountain.com.
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1
The estimated savings were provided by Alternative Power Solutions (APS), who is installing the solar array for the University of Houston.