University Affairs
October 22, 2026
Solar panels on top of the Canyon View Terrace parking structure on USU’s Logan campus.
Utah State University has completed the second phase of its campus solar expansion, adding more than 1 megawatt of new solar generation and its first large-scale battery storage system. The work builds on the 1,058 kilowatts installed in the first phase earlier this year and brings USU’s total new solar capacity to more than 2 megawatts across seven sites.
The newly completed installations include:
In total, the new phase is expected to produce approximately 1.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. The energy generated by this phase is equivalent to:
Combined with the first phase, USU’s new solar systems are expected to generate more than 3 million kilowatt-hours per year.
The Uintah Basin Campus project was funded with support from Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky Program and Wattsmart Battery Program. The 500 kilowatt-hour battery stores solar energy for use by the campus. A portion of its capacity is also reserved for Rocky Mountain Power to dispatch when needed, helping support the reliability of the regional electric grid.
“Every kilowatt-hour we generate on our own campuses is one we don’t have to buy, and over the 25- to 30-year life of these systems, those savings add up,” said Zac Cook, associate director of utilities and energy management at USU. “Projects like this save the university money while reducing the environmental impact of our operations. Adding battery storage in Vernal helps us get even more value from that clean energy and gives us experience we can carry to future projects across the state.”
USU will host a ribbon cutting on from 3-4 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Bingham Entrepreneurship and Energy Research Center on the Uintah Basin Campus. The event will celebrate the completion of the solar and battery project and recent renovations to the BEERC. USU President Brad L. Mortensen will attend.
These projects reinforce USU’s commitment to sustainability, energy cost stability, and long-term environmental stewardship. By producing its own clean electricity, the university reduces its reliance on fossil fuels, hedges against utility price volatility, and saves on utility costs over the 25- to 30-year life of the systems.
For more information about USU’s energy management and sustainability efforts, visit https://www.usu.edu/facilities/services/energy-management and https://www.usu.edu/sustainability/.
Solar panels at USU’s Poisonous Plant Research Lab in Logan.
Solar panels at the Bingham Entrepreneurship and Energy Research Center on USU’s Uintah Basin campus.
Zac Cook
Energy Manager
Facilities
435.797.7048
zac.cook@usu.edu
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