General Operations
Electricity is a utility that touches every corner of our campus – from classrooms and residence halls to our hospital and research labs.
The University of Kentucky purchases electricity from Kentucky Utilities to power the main campus. Once it arrives, most of that electricity is routed through three campus-owned substations. These substations step down and safely distribute power to buildings across campus via an underground feeder network. This system allows power to be delivered safely and reliably while also protecting this critical infrastructure from weather-related outages.
UEM’s High Voltage team operates and maintains the entire distribution system from substation to building. In total, they are responsible for 3 substations, 10 high voltage automatic switch gears, 200 manhole vaults, 300 transformers, 20 miles of electric duct banks, and 130 circuit miles of distribution lines.
Solar Energy
UEM maintains two solar installations on campus designed to reduce overall electricity demand and support the University’s sustainability goals:
Ralph G. Anderson – Completed in 2016, this 56 kW rooftop solar array produces about 3% of the annual electric demand from this building.
Davis Marksbury – Completed in 2010, this 25.6 kW rooftop solar array also produces about 3% of the annual electric demand from this building.
For more information on Renewable Energy at UK.