Solar panels bring renewable energy to Cape Girardeau's grid

"Have you seen all that shade over there? Forget the parks," Ameren project manager Jason Murphey said as he stood under a canopy of solar panels at the Show Me Center on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau.

Joking with fellow Ameren project managers and engineers as they deliberated the exact calculation of how much shade the, roughly, 8 acres of new solar panels created, Murphey and the group eventually agreed that the amount happens to be more than 250,000 square feet — more than three football fields.

University and power company officials ceremoniously cut the ribbon on the newly constructed solar panel coverings Thursday morning to announce the beginning of their operation.

Ameren Missouri gifted the 3,500 solar panels to the university in a partnered effort to promote renewable energy.

The solar panels are connected to the Cape Girardeau city electric power grid and will generate the equivalent of enough energy to power 130 homes.

"The reality is, all of Cape will get a piece of this energy," explained Mark Birk, chairman and president of Ameren Missouri.

Birk said one of Ameren's goals is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.

Net-zero carbon emission is achieved when there is a balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced versus greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere.

This project is part of Ameren's Neighborhood Solar program, which uses existing parking lots, buildings and other spaces house solar panels to generate energy.

Ameren still uses coal to produce about 70% of its energy and 10% comes from nuclear energy, according to Birk.

University president Carlos Vargas said he learned about the possibility for the project at a football game between SEMO and the University of Missouri that he was invited to by Ameren officials.

Vargas said the project immediately interested him as he previously worked with NASA researching solar panels in space.

"At the university, we are always trying, and keep in mind we really are always trying, to figure out what the programs are that we need to be promoting so that they are relevant — that the students find them relevant for this current environment that we live in," Vargas said.

Students at the university were able to shadow the project, creating a unique learning opportunity, Vargas said.

Vargas noted the university's partnership with Ameren will continue and the company is currently evaluating SEMO and other universities in the state for future projects.

"Our goal in doing all of this is to improve the reliability and the resiliency of the grid in Missouri," Birk said.