Climate Leadership
Foundational Commitment: Goal 4 Impact 2030: Santa Clara University's Strategic Plan
Expanding campus renewable energy is one of the many ways we supports the bold university's commitment. Our Sustainability Strategic Action Plan, Leading Through Laudato Si' includes the operational strategy to decarbonize campus energy use by 50% by 2030. We have already completed - and surpassed! - our first Energy: Decarbonize substrategy to add 1.4MW of photovoltaics to campus by 2024.
We continue to expand the capacity to generate our own renewable energy. Read more about how SCU continues to lead the way in campus renewable energy.
Photovoltaics
The Santa Clara University campus is currently home to 3.2 million kWh of photovoltaics.
Bird Solar Project
Completed in Spring 2025, the Bird Solar Initiative resulted in the installation of photovoltaic systems across three campus sites, generating an additional estimated 1.7 megawatts of renewable energy annually. This project not only exceeds SCU’s 2024 goal to add 1.4 megawatts of solar power, but it also doubles the University's existing on-site solar capacity. SCU now boasts a projected annual output of 3.2 million kWh, offsetting 6.09% of the campus's energy use.
Inspired by the generous investment from Jeff and Tina Bird, Michael Krautkramer and Dorian Daly ’86, supported this initiative with a gift to advance SCU’s sustainability strategy by reinvesting annual utility savings into new energy efficiency projects—further reducing future energy use and costs while reflecting the Birds’ strong interest in innovation. This partnership demonstrates how mission-aligned philanthropy can accelerate SCU’s climate action goals.
Earlier Photovoltaics Advancements on Campus
2012: 25 kilowatt photovoltaic system installed on the St. Clare Residence Hall roof.
2010: 1 megawatt solar array installed on the roofs of Leavey Center and Pat Malley Fitness & Recreation Center, as well as a solar panel sunshade on the third level of the main parking structure.
2010: 7 kilowatt photovoltaic system installed on the Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center roof.
2009: The Refract House, SCU's entry to the Solar Decathlon, has 10.8 kilowatts of photovoltaics on its rooftop.
2007: SCU's 2007 Solar Decathlon, entry, the Ripple House, features 7.3 kilowatts of rooftop photovoltaics. In 2012 the house was relocated to Forge Garden to serve as the garden's kitchen, office, and volunteer hub.
2007: 50 kilowatt photovoltaic system installed on the roof of the Support Services Building, provides approximately 89,000 kilowatt hours of electricity in the average year at SCU.
Smart Microgrid
SCU is on course to install a smart microgrid, which ties its power source, transmission, distribution, and even consumption data to weather reports, thereby maximizing energy savings. The power source can be solar, wind, geothermal, essentially any kind of electricity generator. The smart microgrid can also deliver data in real time and measure carbon emissions. In the event of a major power outage, SCU would be able to remain operational, even during prolonged periods of time, and generate enough electricity to power nearby homes and businesses.
In the first phase of the project, SCU installed sub-meters into 14 buildings and integrated the smart microgrid’s onsite alternative energy sources, such as solar, fuel cells, and micro-turbines. The next phase will connect the entire campus to the microgrid. Once the launch of the smart microgrid is complete, it’s estimated to reduce energy consumption by 50 percent and save the University about 20 percent in energy costs.
SCU is collaborating with Sustainable Silicon Valley, Cisco, and Serious Energy (formerly Valence Energy), which was founded by SCU alumni who competed in the 2007 Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C.
Solar Thermal
A 60-collector solar thermal system was installed on top of the Benson Memorial Center in 2010. The system is the largest rooftop concentrating solar thermal installation built to date in California and the largest solar thermal project yet completed under the California Solar Initiative-Thermal (CSI-T) program. The Chromasun MCT panels will produce an estimated 6,700 therms of energy annually and heat water to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for Benson Memorial Center’s dining services. Heating water with solar energy rather than with natural gas will reduce the building’s water-heating bills by as much as 70 percent and offset 34 tons of CO2, equivalent to the total annual emissions of 6.6 automobiles. The system will help SCU reach its goal of becoming climate neutral by the end of 2020.
The collectors were manufactured at a Chromasun facility in San Jose, CA. The workforce at this facility includes former New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) autoworkers that were re-trained as solar manufacturing experts after the NUMMI facility closed and put back to work building Chromasun modules.
Wind Energy
In 2012, SCU installed its first wind turbine on campus on top of the Facilities and Support Services building. Weighing 185 pounds and measuring 7 feet high and 6.5 feet wide, the unit is capable of producing 1,500 kWh per year, which is enough to power an average American household for about 49 days.
Green Power Program
Santa Clara University supports the generation of 30,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy through Santa Clara Green Power. This amount is equal to the annual output of nine of the programs wind turbines, preventing the emission of over 21,545 tons of carbon dioxide each year. These reductions in emissions are equivalent to taking 4,119 cars off the road for one year.
