Artist making solar power project at UB

AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) - A world renowned artist from California has won a global competition to design a massive solar power project for the UB's North Campus.

Internationally renowned landscape architect Walter Hood of Oakland, California will design a cutting edge solar system to power part of the UB North Campus in Amherst. The New York Power Authority is providing $7.5 million to underwrite the work. It will be among the largest campus solar installations in America.

UB President John Simpson said, "Three years ago, with great pleasure, I signed the colleges and university President's Climate Commitment which ensures that we provide, as a university, the commitment to ensure environmental sustainability as well as climate neutrality as we go forward. This empty lot will be transformed into a work of art and not only that, it will provide an additional source of power to 735 student apartments."

Using 5,000 solar panels, Walter Hood will create "The Solar Strand" to resemble a linear pattern of a DNA fingerprint. He also plans to renew the landscape around the design.

Hood said, "How can we take a landscape in which we live and have completely altered and look at is as something positive and not negative? If you think about the campus, the campus was once an agricultural field and a creek bed. We actually moved that stuff to put buildings on it. So, we subserviated culture and nature for our own goals."

The project is set for completion by the Fall semester.