Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 11:43:27 AM - by Nate Lew

A new solar array at Catholic University will be the largest in the Washington, D.C. area.

The installation - 1,088 panels on four campus buildings - is being assembled by Washington Gas Energy Services, Inc. (WGES), at no cost to the university.

Once the solar panels are installed and operational, they are expected to generate 340,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity - only three-quarters of 1 percent of the 44 million kilowatt-hours consumed by Catholic University in a year.

Nevertheless, the installation is emblematic of increasing commitment to alternative energy among American colleges and universities, for cost-cutting, academic, or mission-based reasons.

Brian Alexander, director of energy and utilities management at Catholic, said, "With this 20-year agreement [between Catholic and WGES], we will save money on our energy costs." And Idaho State University recently announced that its nanoparticle research will increase solar panels' efficacy and improve their commercial viability.

The announcement of Catholic University's project comes on the heels of the Solar Decathlon, a competition held on the National Mall in Washington. The Decathlon, won this year by Team Germany, requires teams to build livable solar-powered homes on the Mall. The team from the University of Illinois-Champaign came in second.