125 Stanford Stories

NO. 107
Behind the Scenes

Fueled by the sun: Stanford’s new solar array

Stanford’s new 155,000-panel solar generating station will provide more than half the university’s electricity

In December 2016, university officials dedicated the Stanford Solar Generating Station, an array of more than 155,000 panels in California’s Mojave Desert that will produce the equivalent of more than half of the electrical power used by the Stanford campus. 

It’s the last major piece of Stanford Energy Systems Innovations (SESI), a bold initiative that will reduce Stanford’s greenhouse gas emissions by 68 percent and use of fossil fuels by 65 percent.

Thanks to SESI, Stanford is on track to exceed, several years ahead of schedule, the state, national and international goals for 2020 that derive from the U.N. Framework Convention on climate change. 

The station 340 miles southeast of Stanford is not wired directly to the campus, but to California’s power grid. The university will buy all the power the plant generates for the next 25 years at a fixed price about 20 percent less than Stanford’s previous estimates for the SESI project, Joseph Stagner, university executive director of sustainability and energy management, told the Stanford News Service

As with Stanford’s sustainability initiatives in general, the new solar plant does more than save money and resources. It embodies Stanford’s leadership in sustainable business practices as well as in teaching and research. 

“When I think that Stanford University, our little city, is running off the sun, that’s phenomenal.” 

 Joseph Stagner, Stanford executive director of sustainability and energy management

The 67-megawatt plant was designed and built by SunPower, a solar energy company founded by Richard Swanson, ’74. Robots keep the panels clean, using minimal water and increasing the energy harvest by up to 15 percent. 

Learn more about Stanford Energy Systems Innovations and take a virtual tour.