When you’re driving along Interstate 40 between Memphis and Jackson, watch for the West Tennessee Solar Farm, owned and operated by the University of Tennessee. It’s the largest solar array in Tennessee and one of the largest in the Southeast. The 21,000 photovoltaic solar panels spread across more than 25 acres produce five megawatts of electricity, enough to power 500 homes and offset 250 tons of coal each month. A public information center at the site is to be complete next year. For more information, visit solarfarm.tennessee.edu/.
Cherokee Farm Update
Construction of the first building at Cherokee Farm began this summer. Cherokee Farm is the university’s research campus located along the Tennessee River in Knoxville. The first building will house the UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Joint Institute for Advanced Materials (JIAM). Studying and developing materials to make electric car batteries last longer between charges and to improve solar energy collection are among research projects at JIAM. For more information, visit www.tennessee.edu/system/cherokee.
Tennesseans for UT
Help the university take a stand in Nashville by getting involved through UT Advocacy. The program, overseen by UT’s state relations office, provides alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends with information about state and federal policymaking that affects UT. For more information, visit advocacy.tennessee.edu/ or follow @UTAdvocator on Twitter.
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Number of factors on a “Building Better Cities” checklist the UT Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS), part of the Institute for Public Service, developed to determine whether a city or town performs well in the services it provides. MTAS surveyed each city in Tennessee earlier this year, and the results are used to help improve the city’s delivery of services.
