美国能源部Sunshot倡议支持的一个项目正在研究美国中西部几所大学的公用事业规模太阳能发电的技术和经济可行性。技术方面相对简单，因为大多数大学对电力和能源基础设施有足够的需求，以支持公用事业规模的太阳能发电光伏阵列。该项目更具挑战性的部分是制定财务战略，使太阳能发电成为一项财政上负责任的投资。本文探讨了一个特别具有挑战性的案例研究，在西拉斐特的一所大学，在印度，享有一个非常低的电力成本，因为它的电力供应- 校园联合热电厂。然而，正在发展创新的公私伙伴关系，这将有助于从财务上证明太阳能投资的合理性。该项目还为渴望了解可再生技术的多学科学生团队提供了独特的教育机会。引用:2016年冬季会议，佛罗里达州奥兰多，会议论文

A project supported through the U.S Department of Energy's Sunshot Initiative is looking at the technical and economic viability of utility scale solar electricity at several universities in the Midwestern U.S. The technical aspect is relatively straightforward in that most universities have sufficient demand for electricity and also energy infrastructure to support a utility scale solar photovoltaic array. The more challenging part of the project is developing financial strategies to make solar electricity a fiscally responsible investment. This paper explores one particularly challenging case study at a university in West Lafayette, IN, which enjoys an exceptionally low cost for electricity due to its on-campus combined heat power plant. However, innovative public private partnerships are being developed that will help financially justify investments in solar energy. This project also provides unique educational opportunities for multidisciplinary student teams who are anxious to learn about renewable technologies.