
Cumberland County College in New Jersey recently announced that the school plans to move forward with a green energy initiative that will allow a private firm to build and operate solar-powered electrical fields at sites around the county.
The agreement between the college and the energy company will give way to a 1.5-megawatt facility to be built over the next 12 months, which will save the college more than $2 million during a 15-year agreement that college will sign to receive discounted electricity.
“About a year and a half ago, Cumberland and Salem community colleges reached agreements to offer joint associate degree programs in sustainable energy technology and nuclear energy technology,” college spokesman John Nichols said to the Vineland Daily Journal. “Solar energy is one aspect of the SET program. There also are courses in wind energy tech and biodiesel energy.”
The college board of trustees approved the project unanimously at its meeting recently, which was the final approval needed to construct the solar field, costing an estimated $12 million-$15 million.

