TRU flips switch on more than 650 newly installed solar panels

TRU activates solar panels

Photo: TRU

Thompson Rivers University has activated 655 newly installed solar panels on three campus buildings.

Three newly activated solar arrays on Thompson Rivers University’s campus have been activated, turning Kamloops sunshine into clean energy that will help keep campus buzzing.

The 655 rooftop panels were activated on Nov. 14 and will produce more than 400 megawatt-hours of electricity each year — enough to power 35 to 40 homes for a year, according to TRU.

The new solar panels have been installed on the roofs of TRU’s Arts and Education, Campus Activity Centre and Industrial Training and Technology Centre buildings.

BC Hydro worked with TRU to connect the systems to the electrical grid and helped fund the project through its load displacement program. Riverside Energy Systems led the installation, while Stantec consulted.

TRU energy manager Natalie Yao said the project was a result of a strong collaborative effort.

“This activation reflects TRU’s commitment to clean energy and to modernizing our campus infrastructure,” Yao said in a news release.

The solar panels will help power the university’s $40-million Low-Carbon District Energy System (LCDES), which is currently under construction on campus.

The system will use air and water-source heat pumps with the aim of reducing TRU's greenhouse gas emissions by 95 per cent when it’s expected to go online in 2026.

TRU’s goal is to reach zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Over the summer, TRU earned an honourable mention in the 2025 Canadian Association of University Business Officers Quality and Productivity Awards Program for the solar panel and LCDES projects.

TRU can install up to one megawatt of solar capacity under its interconnection agreement with BC Hydro.

When the PV Solarization project was announced last year, TRU said it had received approval to install more than 1,000 panels across campus over the next five years. The newly activated panels are the first first phase of this project.