Amy,
I received your email address from another PSU booster regarding charging station support on the PSU campus. I am an '89 Comp Sci graduate of Penn State, season ticket holder and regular visitor for other reasons (volleyball, student recruiting, etc). I recently purchased a Tesla Model S, which is an advanced electric vehicle (EV). It has plenty of range to get me to Penn State's campus from SE PA, but not enough to get me home. In order to drive my environmentally friendly EV, I need a location to charge the vehicle when visiting. Given Penn State's great engineering capability and research support for alternative vehicles, I assumed that there would be ample locations for me to charge my vehicle when visiting, but when I researched it turns out there are no facilities in the middle of PA whatsoever.
I would like to recommend that this be addressed asap and would love to see something done before start of the football season this year. Given the negative press PSU has received, this could be one area, although small in comparison, to begin to show leadership in improving the world and environment. I would like to recommend a solution that would address this:
At / near the PSU football stadium create an array of EV charging stations (start small and leave room for growth) where boosters can get assigned locations for parking/tailgating and charging their vehicle.
On non-game weekends, make these stations available for the faculty/students for their personal use
In addition, although somewhat separate: Consider deployment a host of renewable energy collectors (solar/wind) along the stadium area which make the electricity used a net-0 effect on the environment. If you want an example of a stadium that has done this, look at the Philadelphia Lincoln Center where the Eagles play. They have deployed solar and wind collectors throughout the stadium to make the entire stadiums electricity needs net neutral.
The overall effect would be a positive message to the media, it could include the engineering students for their learning, and would be a great asset for the faculty/staff/students to use in this growing area.
Please let me know your thoughts or if I can do anything to help move this forward within the school. I am happy to discuss by phone or email if you have any questions. I look forward to your response.