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Pi Kappa Alpha, commonly referred to as “Pike”, at Indiana State University has become one of the first fraternities in the nation to use solar panels to help power their chapter house.
The Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at ISU recently installed 75 solar panels across the top of its house. The project, which was funded by a Pike, powers all of the outdoor lighting and half of the education center. In addition to funding, an Indiana State Pike alum at One Planet Solar also installed the panels.
According to Josh Michael, a member of the Pike Housing Board, the fraternity plans to be working on phase two of the solar panel project by 2020.
“Which would be basically this facility like a reprint added onto the south end,” he says. “We would add to this system that we have now in hopes of having 100 percent of our energy needs met, at some point, with solar.”
Michael says after the fraternity added cisterns to collect rainwater, the chapter wanted to find another environmentally friendly project. He says they hope it will start a trend.
“One would speculate that with us doing this that hopefully more people would get on board and, you know, start looking at some green energies,” he says.
Pike estimates that the panels will result in a savings of about $250,000 over the next 30 years.
