Utah Valley University is proud to be Wolverine Green. Thanks to a new solar-power partnership, UVU’s electricity use is about to get a lot greener too.

The Utah Public Service Commission approved a recent application from Rocky Mountain Power, on behalf of UVU and several other local organizations, to purchase renewable energy and electricity from the Elektron Solar project in Tooele County.

“UVU is proud to be a partner on the Elektron Solar project,” UVU President Astrid S. Tuminez said. “As the largest institution of higher education in the state of Utah, UVU has a responsibility to demonstrate exceptional care for our environment. This project will provide over 90% of UVU’s electricity needs, dramatically reducing our environmental impact and contributing significantly to our goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. Projects like the Elektron Solar project provide the kind of high-quality jobs that UVU trains our students for — from electricians and construction managers to mechanical and electrical engineers.”

According to Frank Young, UVU associate vice president of facilities planning, participation in the Elektron Solar project will allow close to 97% of UVU’s power to be renewable, allowing the institution to decrease the air pollution produced dramatically.

UVU, along with Salt Lake City, Park City, Summit County, Deer Valley Resort, and Park City Mountain, worked with Rocky Mountain Power to find renewable energy that was both cost-effective and sustainable. The result of those efforts is Elektron Solar, an 80-megawatt solar project to be housed in Tooele County. The project is on track to be online by 2023.