The Solar Strand

The Solar Strand comprises a quarter-mile long array of 5000 photovoltaic panels on the campus of SUNY Buffalo. Designed by Walter Hood as the winning design for the University at Buffalo Solar Park Competition, the project takes what some might understand as a mere energy storing system and adapts it to be a regional attraction. The installation harnesses energy from both sunlight and hydrological infiltration, actively participating in the University’s goals for sustainable impact. Embedded in a three-acre landscape of diverse native flora and fauna, the project also creates spaces of interaction between the University community and larger public. The panels form dozens of configurations, the three largest of which provide shaded classroom spaces for studying, learning, and reflection. The university also has plans to expand the educational reach of the project to local primary and secondary schools, and is developing a program through which students will be able to tour the Solar Strand and learn about solar energy and sustainability.