With the support of a generous grant from BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc., the students participating in APU’s summer 2003 Concepts of Sustainability course constructed a solar energy system to provide partial electricity for their living quarters at the DeWolf-Kellogg Campus near Palmer. The system included two BP SolarTM 75 watt panels, a TRACE Engineering® charge controller, a ProSINE® 2000 watt inverter, and four 6 volt Interstate Batteries®. All the materials used to construct this system were purchased at Susitna Energy Systems in Anchorage. Alaska Pacific University students involved with the summer session on sustainability installed the system with the considerable help of Richard Olsen, an IBEW electrician with Matanuska Telephone Association, and instructor Mark Masteller. The system was unveiled during the "Developing a Sustainable Campus" July 29th presentation. Faculty, staff, and students from APU as well as members of the community attended the presentation given by the students.

The system was designed to be expanded as additional funds become available. APU student Timothy Poole stated, "We felt that by purchasing a 2000 watt inverter and only two solar panels we can provide the opportunity for future programs to expand on the system. What we have right now is two panels totaling 150 watts, which leaves enough capacity in the system to add 24 more panels or add wind generation. I am really excited about the energy project we have going on here, and hope that we can expand upon it in the future."

Students at the farm feel it is necessary to eventually take the Mat-Su campus off the municipal power grid, thereby creating a more sustainable campus and helping to demonstrate renewable energy technologies. Sustainability student Erin Donmoyer mentioned, "I think most of us here at the farm agree that we really had a wonderful experience learning how "green" systems function to make our daily lives more sustainable. Without the grant from British Petroleum the solar power system we constructed would not have been possible. In the future, I hope to install an alternative energy system into a greenhouse here on the farm."

In addition to creating the solar power system, the students participated in various projects such as remodeling one of the campus buildings, planting and maintaining an organically grown garden, and visiting several experts on sustainable living systems. The students hope that this summer’s program will be a foundation for future courses based upon sustainability. Student Sophia Villasenor feels that, "It is important to have sustainability pioneers such as Jim Sykes, former gubernatorial candidate, and Michael Kircher, author of Micro-Farming at High Latitudes, to volunteer their time and expertise. We have gained a lot of knowledge by touring the homes of these individuals and hope that we can make similar things happen on the DeWolf-Kellogg campus."