PROVIDENCE, R.I.— Brown University is a key player in the state’s largest solar panel project, emphasizing the campus’ commitment to achieving net-zero energy use by 2040. ��

Dry Bridge, the monumental solar project, is a vast 117,120-panel solar array that sits on a 240-acre parcel of land that was once a sand and gravel extraction pit. Dry Bridge is on track to generate 66.8 million kilowatt hours of power per year, powering nearly two-thirds of Brown’s 231 campus buildings and eliminating 16,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, the equivalent of taking 3,500 gas-powered cars off the road, according to a University statement.��

“Dry Bridge is a transformative milestone for clean energy in the region and signals a significant step toward  ,” said Christina Paxson, Ph.D., president of Brown University, in the statement. “The project underscores the need to ensure the University does all it can…to contribute to global efforts to seek climate solutions and combat the threats posed by climate change.”��

However, achieving net-zero goals is no new concept to Brown.��

In 2018, the University made its initial commitment to offsetting 100% of its on-campus electricity use. Installation of the solar panels began in 2021 after necessary permits from North Kingstown and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management were approved, and site remediation followed shortly after, including removing existing structures, land surveying and planting restorative vegetation to attract pollinators. Land-use impacts were minimal, according to a statement by the University. No large-scale tree-clearing occurred, nor encroachment on neighborhoods, both important aspects to Brown in choosing the site for the project.��

Under the terms of a 25-year power-purchase agreement with MN8, the New York-based energy company that owns Dry Bridge, Brown University will pay MN8 to operate the facility. As part of the agreement, Brown will obtain and retire project-specific renewable energy credits through Dry Bridge, a proof-of-ownership solidifying the University’s right to claim the renewable energy as its own. According to the University’s announcement, Brown will also reduce its electricity costs by utilizing credits from the energy project through net metering, in compliance with Rhode Island’s Renewable Energy Program laws on net and virtual net metering.��

“We are thrilled to celebrate the completion of the Dry Bridge solar facility, a project that underscores our commitment to renewable energy and exemplifies the collaborative spirit needed to drive meaningful change,” said Jon Yoder, MN8 president and CEO in a statement. “This project is a testament to our vision of a decarbonized world and reinforces our dedication to delivering innovative energy solutions that empower communities and protect our planet.”��

Additional developments for the solar array included a new power substation and underground and overhead lines to transmit power. According to Frank Epps, CEO of Energy Development Partners, the Providence-based company that developed Dry Bridge, the power lines installed are the highest-distribution voltage in all of Rhode Island. EDP teamed up with Narragansett Electric to install underground and overhead lines, secure the proper state permits, and to design and complete infrastructure improvements.��

Other hurdles in the project included sudden change of project owner, delays and substantial challenges around interconnection service agreements, taking two years to navigate both state and regional relegations before construction could commence.����

“During two years of negotiations, all of the project partners, regulatory agencies and the utility worked together, and the project ultimately received the necessary authorizations to interconnect,” said Al Dahlberg, associate vice president for government relations at Brown University, in a statement. “It was an undertaking that took a tremendous amount of effort, patience and collaboration to accomplish.” ��

Brown University has continuously trailblazed a path towards net-zero possibilities in more ways than the solar project. The University’s additional efforts include using sustainable building and cleaning materials, reducing meat consumption in campus dining, utilizing eco-friendly equipment for campus equipment and transportation, pursuing elimination of fossil fuels and further exploration of geothermal energy. ��

“The goal is no more fossil-fuel combustion,” said Stephen Porder, associate provost for sustainability at Brown, in a University’s statement. “We’re really learning how to get there as a society, and what Brown is doing is throwing ourselves into this challenge and leading and learning how to actually do this through our actions, in what we teach and in how we learn.”��

Caption for Featured Image: Dry Bridge solar farm produces enough energy to power nearly two-thirds of Brown University’s campus buildings and will eventually offset 100% of Brown’s on-campus electricity use. Photo credit: Nick Dentamaro/Brown University

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91��Ƶ Construction Report:

The University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee will seek bids beginning April 7 for the renovation and modernization of existing classroom and lecture halls. Work will include general construction, HVAC, fire protection and electrical construction in four separate halls. Construction on Cunningham Hall will focus on reconfiguring two existing general spaces, new mediated classrooms and adjacent office space. Mitchell Hall construction will include removing concrete risers and seating from two existing general classrooms and reconfiguring the space with moveable tables and chairs. Construction on Bolton Hall will include reconfiguring four existing general classrooms into two 60-seat mediated classrooms. Construction on the fourth hall, yet unnamed, will include providing technology, finishes and furnishing upgrades. For additional information, visit the .

Bid Package No. 2 documents will soon be available through New Cloquet School District No. 94 in Cloquet, Minn. A pre-bid conference will be held April 28 at 2:00 p.m. at the Cloquet Senior High School Auditorium at 1000 18th Street in Cloquet. Bid documents will be made available on April 25. The owner will construct a new 142,123-square-foot middle school on the south side of the existing high school site. The project will require site clearing, new site utilities, concrete, precast, waterproofing, rough and finish carpentry, roofing, aluminum windows, doors and storefronts, metal studs and drywall, interior finishes, a new pool, fire protection, mechanical systems, electrical systems, security and fire alarm systems, new parking lot/drives/sidewalks and site restoration. The project’s construction manager is Kraus-Anderson Construction Company of Duluth, Minn. The architect is ARY of St. Louis Park, Minn. Questions regarding the pre-bid conference can be directed to Deb Coffman, project assistant with Kraus-Anderson Construction Company, at deb.coffman@krausanderson.com.

East Aurora School District 131 in Chicago has proposed nearly $70 million in construction work throughout the district’s middle and high schools. The plan would add an additional 20 classrooms, a fine arts wing and a relocated and renovated cafeteria and kitchen to East Aurora High School. The school’s library, locker rooms, hallways and science rooms would also be renovated. The proposal includes a budget of $11 million in HVAC and roofing at Cowherd, Simmons and Waldo Middle Schools as well as $7 million in facility work at the high school. Construction on the high school stadium is also part of the proposal and is estimated at approximately $5 million. Construction on the high school additions and stadium could begin as early as this summer, according to the . For more information, refer to page 139 of the Illinois State Board of Education’s .
 

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