A bright idea – made possible through Kent State’s Office of Procurement and Supplier Diversity – will help Kent State University save more than $6 million in energy costs over the next 20 years.

The idea came from a recent graduate of the Office of Procurement and Supplier Diversity’s annual Kent State University/Turner Construction Workshop Series. Graduate Cliff Wood, owner of Prairie Wind Group (PWG), a minority-owned company, presented a proposal to university leadership which led to conducting a feasibility study to assess the potential savings in implementing solar installations on seven campuses within the university system.

The university’s Board of Trustees approved the use of solar panels as part of a renewable energy project on Kent State’s seven regional campuses after a competitive RFP process. The project will install solar photovoltaic arrays on 21.2 acres of underutilized land, generating five megawatts of energy annually, saving $6.3 million over the life of the solar panels reducing the electrical consumption at the regional campuses by 56%. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

Supplier diversity plays a key role in providing new solutions to Kent State through working with creative, innovative and competitive minority-owned and women-owned suppliers. Diversity in the university’s supplier base has been vital, not only with an eye on quality and cost savings, but in alignment with the university’s core values of diversity, equity and inclusion. This project also aligns with Kent State’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.

During this webinar, Veronica Cook-Euell, Supplier Diversity Program Manager for Kent State and Cliff Wood, owner of Prairie Wind Group, will share this incredible story.