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Catholic University Proposes DC's Largest Solar Array

  • October 20th 2021

by Nena Perry-Brown

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Diagram of solar array. Click to enlarge.

Catholic University has filed a zoning application to create the largest solar array in the city on its West Campus. 

The 41-acre West Campus, along Michigan Avenue between North Capitol Street and Harewood Road NE (map), was purchased from the Armed Forces Retirement Home in 2004 and has remained mostly vacant since. The ground-mounted solar array will cover 25 of those acres, making it the largest array in the city to date, per the application documents.

"The proposed solar facility will generate approximately 11,000 MWh per year or roughly one-fourth of the University’s annual energy consumption," the application notes. The array will also sell excess energy generated to the grid, and it is expected to provide a research opportunity for high school  and college students in Ward 5.

The array will be fenced in and additional landscaping and pollinators will be planted to create more of a buffer and decrease visibility from Harewood Road. All heritage trees will remain.

A zoning hearing has not yet been scheduled.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/catholic-university-proposes-dcs-largest-solar-array/18849.

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