Southern Oregon University is building a clean, resilient campus energy system. Our goal is to generate 100% of our daytime electricity from solar while reducing overall energy use through efficiency and conservation. Through smart energy management, campus solar leadership, and continuous operational improvements, we are cutting emissions, lowering costs, and strengthening energy reliability for our students and community.

We are also building a living laboratory, through infrastructure and partnerships, find out more here. Energy management at SOU is not just an operational effort, it is an educational opportunity. 

SOU uses three main forms of energy on campus: purchased electricity, purchased natural gas and on campus solar generation. Energy consumption is the primary source of SOU’s greenhouse gas emissions. The university is focused on reducing its energy consumption through energy conservation, energy efficiency, and onsite renewable energy generation.

The predominant energy source on campus is electrical energy, accounting for roughly 39% of the university’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Electricity, forming around 76% of the campus’s total energy consumption, is purchased from Ashland Electric, the City of Ashland’s municipal utility.