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WEBVTT SEAN: INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS LIKE THESE IS JUST THE FIRST STEP IN THE PROCESS TO MAKE THE MED CENTER CAMPUS CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2030. >> WE ARE BASICALLY TRANSFERRING THE SUN’S ENERGY INTO ELECTRICITY. SEAN: AS THE SUN BREAKS THROUGH THE CLOUDS, THESE SOLAR PANELS ABSORB THE SUN’S ENERGY AN ARRAY SIMILAR TO THIS ONE AT MORRISSEY ENGINEERING WILL SOON FILL THESE EMPTY ROOFTOPS ON THREE BUILDINGS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER CAMPUS. >> WE HAVE ABOUT 12 YEARS TO REALLY CUT THE ENERGY USE ON CAMPUS TO THE MAX AMOUNT THAT WE CAN, AND THEN WE’LL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CREATE GREEN ENERGY. SEAN: IN A PARTNERSHIP WI OPPD, 1500 PANELS WILL BE INSTALLED ON THE ROOFS OF THE SORRELL CENTER FOR HEALTH SCIENCE EDUCATION, TRUHLSEN EYE INSTITUTE, AND THE MAURER CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH. >> WHEN WE INITIALLY LAID THIS OUT, WE LOOKED AT HE WHOLE CAMPUS, LOOKED AT THE BEST POSSIBILITIES. WE FIGURED OUT THAT THE THREE BUILDINGS WE PICKED WERE PROBABLY THE LOWEST COST HIGHEST OUTPUT BUILDING, LEAST SHADING. SEAN: UNMC EXPECTS THE COSTS TO BE OFFSET WITHIN 10 YEARS FR THE SOLAR ENERGY. >> NOT FACING SOUTH, THERE WILL BE A SMALL REDUCTION IN THE ANNUAL ENERGY THAT’S PRODUC PER PANEL, BUT THE FACT THAT WE CAN GET SO MANY MORE PANELS ON THE ROOF IS WHAT MAKES IT A NE BENEFIT. SEAN: INSTALLATION OF THE SOLAR PANELS WILL BEGIN BY THE END OF THE MONTH, AND THEY HOPE TO BE PRODUCING POWER BY THE END OF THE YEAR. REPORTING IN OMAHA, SEAN EVERSON, KETV NEWSWA

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The University of Nebraska Medical Center will soon be the site of the state's largest rooftop solar array.Installing the solar panels is the first step in the process to make the UNMC campus carbon neutral by 2030."We are basically transferring the sun's energy into electricity," said Darren Dageforde, UNMC's executive director of utilities and energy utilization.An array similar to the one at Morrissey Engineering, the designer of the project, will soon fill the empty rooftops on three buildings at the UNMC campus."We have about 12 years to really cut the energy use on campus to the max amount that we can and then we'll have to figure out how to create green energy," Dageforde said.In a partnership with OPPD, 1,500 panels will be installed on the roofs of the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education, Truhlsen eye institute, and the Harold M. and Beverly Maurer Center for Public Health."When we initially laid this out, we looked at he whole campus, looked at the best possibilities. We figured out that the three buildings we picked were probably the lowest cost, highest output building, least shading," Dageforde said.UNMC expects the costs to be offset within 10 years from the solar energy."By not facing south, there will be a small reduction in the annual energy that's produced per panel-- but the fact that we can get so many more panels on the roof is what makes it a net benefit," Jared Frieson, of Morrissey Engineering, said.Installation of the solar panels will begin by the end of the month and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.