University of Pittsburgh begins construction on 20-megawatt solar farm

A 20-megawatt solar farm in Pittsburgh will supply electricity to the University of Pittsburgh for the next two decades. 

The solar farm is being built on 68 acres and will have about 55,000 solar panels. It is expected to be one of the largest solar installations in Western Pennsylvania, the university says in a news release. 

Once operational, the Gaucho Solar project is projected to produce more than 35,700 megawatt-hours of electricity annually, or about 18 % of the Pittsburgh campus’ electricity usage per year. It will lower the university’s greenhouse gas emissions by about 15,452 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. 

The farm will have an observation area adjacent to the solar array to provide educational opportunities for students.

The project is expected to begin generating renewable electricity by mid-2023.