| WHAT: | Celebration of Largest Solar Panel System in D.C. |
| WHEN: | Friday, Sept. 21, at 10 a.m. |
| WHERE: | The Catholic University of America O'Boyle Parking Lot (off Harewood Road, Northeast) 620 Michigan Ave. N.E. Washington, D.C. |
| DETAILS | With the addition of 714 solar panels creating a canopy over more than 70 parking spaces, Catholic University has the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) panel system in the District of Columbia to date with more than 2,600 solar panels generating approximately 830 megawatt hours of clean electricity per year. The University will celebrate this achievement with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Representatives from the University, Washington Gas Energy Systems, Standard Solar, Inc., and the District of Columbia government will be in attendance. Along with the O'Boyle parking lot canopy, additional solar panels were installed this summer on the roofs of the Raymond A. DuFour Athletic Center, Pangborn Hall, and the Grounds Maintenance Complex. Panels were previously in place on the DuFour Center and Aquinas, Gibbons, and Flather halls. In the three years since the University began using solar power, it has nearly tripled the amount of clean energy it produces. The solar panels have been installed by Standard Solar of Rockville, Md., and the system is owned and operated by McLean, Va.-based Washington Gas Energy Systems as part of a 20-year power purchasing agreement with CUA signed in 2009. Reducing its carbon footprint with solar power is only the latest step in Catholic University's commitment to sustainability. The University's efforts began in 2002 with the purchase of wind energy credits. For more information on these sustainability efforts, visit http://green.cua.edu . MEDIA: To cover the event, contact Katie Lee in the Office of Public Affairs at 202-319-5600. |
| SPONSORS: | The Catholic University of America Washington Gas Energy Systems Standard Solar |