An Exploration of Using Solar Photovoltaic Cells as a Sustainable Solution in Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/hepe.v9i2.5869Keywords:
sustainable development, sustainable university, higher education, solar pv, renewable energyAbstract
The purpose of this convergent parallel mixed-methods instrumental case study was to examine the feasibility of Solar Photovoltaics (PV) as an economic and environmental sustainability tool for higher education while, at the same time, gauging essential university stakeholder knowledge, opinions and beliefs regarding sustainable development, sustainable universities and support for sustainable initiatives on campus. The findings from this study at a Midwestern university indicated that the solar power system generated electricity at a lower cost than the local electric utility was charging and a varied understanding of sustainable development by participants. Implications for provide insight into establishing stakeholder support and a cost/benefit model for sustainable development for institutions of higher learning.
References
Amaral, L.P., Martins, N., & Gouveia, J. B. (2015). Quest for a sustainable university: A review. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 16 (2). https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSHE-02-2013-0017/full/html
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. (2021). Who we are. https://www.aashe.org/about-us/who-we-are/
Aurora Solar. (2022, August 4). Design Mode. https://aurorasolar.com/design-mode/
Cal State Campus Solar Powered. (2003). Black Issues in Higher Education, 20(3), 37.
Carlson, S., & Gardner, L. (2021). The year that pushed higher ed to the edge: How the pandemic exacerbated longstanding problems. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 67 (9).
Chui, Q. (2020). Sustainable performance in american higher education: A multiple case study of four exemplary institutions that participated in the sustainability tracking, assessment & rating system (Publication No. 27837310) [Doctoral dissertation, Florida Atlantic University]. ProQuest LLC.
Collins, B., Fountain, J. H., Dortch, C., & Library of Congress, C. R. S. (CRS). (2021). The COVID-19 Pandemic and Institutions of Higher Education: Contemporary Issues. CRS Report R46666, Version 2. In Congressional Research Service. Congressional Research Service.
Crowe, S., Cresswell, K., Robertson, A., Huby, G., Avery, A., & Sheikh, A. (2011). The case study approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-11-100
Dahle, M., & Neumayer, E. (2001). Overcoming barriers to campus greening. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2(2), 139–160. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676370110388363
Djordjevic, A., & Cotton, D. (2011). Communicating the sustainability message in higher education institutions. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 12(4), 381–394. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371111168296
Driscoll, E., Comm, C.L., & Mathaisel, D.F.X. (2013). A lesson plan for sustainability in higher education. American Journal of Business Education, 6 (2). https://www.clutejournals.com
Eide, S. (2018). Private colleges in peril: Financial pressures and declining enrollment may lead to more closures. Education Next, 18(4), 34-41.
Ezarik, M. (2012). Panel planting: Solar farms sprouting up on campuses. University Business, 15 (6). http://utulsa.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=78095055&site=ehost-live
Filho, W. L., Pallant, E., Enete, A., Richter, B., & Brandli, L.L. (2018). Planning and implementing sustainability in higher education institutions: An overview of the difficulties and potentials. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 25 (8).
Ghosh, S. (2011). Participation in the Green Power Partnership. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 12(4), 306–321. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371111168241
Hahn, A. (2017). Campuses Look to Keep Green Energy Efforts Out of the Red. New England Journal of Higher Education, 1.
Hanus, N. L., Wong-Parodi, G., Vaishnav, P. T., Darghouth, N. R., & Azevedo, I. L. (2019). Solar PV as a mitigation strategy for the US education sector. Environmental Research Letters, 14(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aafbcf
Helmer, J. (2017). Here comes the sun. University Business, 20(5), 26–29. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.utulsa.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=1066d070-0e50-4f7e-80d8-97401ca87164%40redis
Herrmann, M. (2008). Catching Rays. University Business, 11(6), 77.
Hooey, C., Mason, A., & Triplett, J. (2017). Beyond greening: Challenges to adopting sustainability in institutions of higher education. The Midwest Quarterly, 58 (3).
Homeowner's Guide to the Federal Tax Credit for Solar Photovoltaics. (n.d.). Energy.gov. https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/homeowners-guide-federal-tax-credit-solar-photovoltaics
Jo, H.J., IIves, K., Barth, T., & Leszcynski, E. (2017). Implementation of a large-scale solar photovoltaic system at a higher education institution in illinois, usa. AIMS Energy, 5 (1). http://www.aimspress.com/article/10.3934/energy.2017.1.54
Johnson, R. B., & Christensen, L. B. (2019). Educational Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Approaches (7th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Mascarenhas, C., Mendes, L., Marques, C. & Galvão, A. (2020). "Exploring CSR’s influence on employees’ attitudes and behaviours in higher education", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 653-678. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-04-2018-0101
Mohammadalizadehkorde, M., & Weaver, R. (2018). Universities as Models of Sustainable Energy-Consuming Communities? Review of Selected Literature. Sustainability, 10(9), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093250
Mossman, A. P. (2018). Retrofitting the ivory tower: Engaging global sustainability challenges through interdisciplinary problem-oriented education, research, and partnerships in u.s. higher education. Journal of Higher Education Outreach & Engagement, 22 (1). http://utulsa.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=129090847&site=ehost-live
Murray, J. (2018). Student-led action for sustainability in higher education: a literature review. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 19(6), 1095–1110. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe-09-2017-0164
My Accounting Course, 2021. What is cost savings? https://www.myaccountingcourse.com/accounting-dictionary/cost-savings
National Grid. (2003). Managing energy costs in colleges and universities. https://www9.nationalgridus.com/non_html/shared_energyeff_college.pdf
Niedlich, S., Kummer, B., Bauer, M., Rieckmann, M., & Bormann, I. (2020). Cultures of sustainability governance in higher education: A multi-case study of dimensions and implications. Higher Education Quarterly, 74(4), 373–390. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12237
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic Analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 160940691773384. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Purcell, W. M., Henriksen, H., & Spengler, J. D. (2019). Universities as the engine of transformational sustainability toward delivering the sustainable development goals: "Living labs" for sustainability. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 20 (8). https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSHE-02-2019-0103/full/html
SAGE Research Methods - An Applied Guide to Research Designs: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods. (2019, December 20). https://methods.sagepub.com/book/an-applied-guide-to-research-designs-2e
Speer, J. H., Sheets, V., Kruger, T. M., Aldrich, S. P., McCreary, N. (2020). Sustainability survey to assess student perspectives. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 21 (6). EM-IJSH200065 1151..1167 (oclc.org).
Staisloff, R. (2020). The bailout is just the start: Why higher ed needs to build a sustainable model. Chronical of Higher Education, 66 (27).
Tucker III, J.J., & Jones, S. (2020). Environmental, social, governance investing: Investor demand, the great wealth transfer, and strategies for esg investing. Journal of Financial Service Professionals, 74 (3). http://proxy.library.maryville.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=142821613&site=ehost-live
Whitford, E. (2020, October 7). New rounds of budget cuts hitting personnel. Inside Higher Ed.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/10/07/colleges-running-out-budget-areas-trim besides-personnel
Whitford, E. (2021). Spring Enrollment Takes a Plunge. Inside Higher Ed, 1. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/06/10/final-spring-enrollment-numbers-show-largest-decline-decade
Wright, T. (2010). University presidents’ conceptualizations of sustainability in higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 11(1), 61–73. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371011010057
Wright, T., & Horst, N. (2013). Exploring the ambiguity: What faculty leaders really think of sustainability in higher education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 14 (2). https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371311312905
Zalaznick, M. (2020, February 24). How four colleges teamed up to buy solar power. University Business. https://universitybusiness.com/how-four-colleges-teamed-up-to-buy-solar-power/
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Higher Education Politics and Economics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Unless otherwise noted, copyrights for the texts which comprise all issues of Higher Education Politics & Economics (HEPE) are held by the Journal. The compilation as a whole is Copyright © by HEPE, all rights reserved. Items published by HEPE may be freely shared among individuals, but they may NOT be republished in any medium without express written consent from the author(s) and advance notification of the HEPE editorial board. For permission to reprint articles published in the Journal, please contact the Editors-in-Chief.
