Photo courtesy of Luther College.

Listen to this week’s radio segment here or read the transcript below. This week’s episode spotlights Luther College’s new solar energy array.

Luther College has installed a solar energy field as part of their effort to become a carbon neutral campus by 2030.

This is the Iowa Environmental Focus.

The Decorah, Iowa school’s solar field went online at the end of August. It’s the largest solar energy production site in Iowa, and its installation will help Luther eliminate carbon dioxide emissions – a goal they set in 2007.

Since setting the goal, the college has reduced their carbon footprint by 23 percent. Last year, Luther installed a 1.6-megawatt wind turbine on campus. That effort alone reduced the school’s footprint by 15 percent.

Luther’s next major eco-friendly project is to install a second solar field later this year. The combination of the two solar fields will provide enough energy to power Luther’s Baker Village student housing facility.

For more information on Luther’s efforts, visit IowaEnvironmentalFocus.org.

From the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, I’m Jerry Schnoor.