Solar panels on UW Bothell's parking garages take advantage of free energy
University of Washington
Unsure

Two ten-kilowatt solar arrays were installed on the roofs of the North and South Garages. Cascadia is raising funds to install a photovoltaic array on the roof of CC3, in order to be utilized by the Environmental Technologies and Sustainable Practices solar program. These solar panels help alleviate electricity costs and utilities dependency, taking advantage of otherwise underused space and free natural energy.

While many people think the Seattle region is too rainy for photovoltaic solar, UW Bothell's solar panels generated enough electricity over Autumn and Winter quarters to completely power an average household's needs. In the Spring and Summer quarters, there can be 3 times the amount of production.

Fun Facts: 
Just over 600 Kilowatt hours of electricity are generated in January 2012 alone - enough energy to power a refrigerator for an entire year.
Over 6,222 kilowatt hours of electricity were generated during Autumn 2011 and Winter 2012 quarters; and over 2,500 kilowatt hours in May, 2012 alone.
Project Website: 
Explore UW Bothell's Energy Dashboard to learn more and see energy production in real time
Project Contact Name: 
Tony Guerrero
info@uwb.com