The School of Data Science Commemorates Earth Day with Commitment to Clean Energy

The School of Data Science will receive 15% of its power from solar energy, provided by four arrays of solar photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of its soon-to-open new home. 

The School will contribute to the University of Virginia’s Sustainability Plan by offsetting approximately 67,000 kilowatt-hours of energy every year through the use of solar energy — the energy equivalent of powering six average-sized homes in the United States each year.  

Sathish Anabathula, associate director of power and light for the University, spoke with the School of Data Science for an Earth Day-inspired video on the importance of clean energy to the School. Earth Day is celebrated each year on April 22. 

“UVA’s Sustainability Plan, released in 2020, has two goals: carbon neutral by 2030, and fossil fuel free by 2050” explained Anabathula. 

“The School of Data Science is very committed to those goals and wanted PV solar on their rooftop from day one,” Anabathula added.  

Arlyn Burgess, associate dean for administration for the School of Data Science, said the School advocated to have solar panels installed during the early stages of planning for the building. She also noted how the use of solar energy aligns with the School’s five-year strategic plan and the “core mission and values of the School of Data Science — openness, transparency.” 

 “We really wanted to be good stewards of the space that we were in and the resources that we had,” Burgess said.  

The School will celebrate its grand opening on April 26, welcoming in a new era of possibility — powered, in part, by clean energy.