Spiders go solar

President Ronald A. Crutcher and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe cut the ribbon for a new array of solar panels on top of the Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness on April 19. The 749 panels covering 22,000 feet of rooftop generate an equivalent of the average annual electricity needs of 22 American homes — or one Richmond residence hall.

Three-quarters of the panels are bifacial, which means they collect direct solar energy from the front and ambient energy from the back. These modules are capable of increasing energy yield by as much as 25 percent. According to developer Secure Futures and project co-owner SolarWorld, the installation on Richmond’s campus is the first commercial application of SolarWorld’s Bisun panels in the Americas.