Under the partnership, the university will assist the island territory in the development of renewable energy practices.
The island territory intends to reduce fossil fuel consumption by 60% in 2025 from its 2009 baseline.
The university said the Virgin Islands is currently undertaking a combination of renewable energy and energy efficiency deployment.
ASU senior vice president of knowledge enterprise development Sethuraman Panchanathan said the university will help US Virgin Islands develop new renewable energy practices and expand upon energy research and education
"This collaboration is a great opportunity for the university to work side by side with the Virgin Island leaders, utilities and university to create solutions to sustainability challenges that face our communities locally and globally."
US Virgin Islands Governor John de Jongh said, "The value created by this partnership provides the various agencies of the government with the responsibilities for energy efficiency and conservation, waste management, energy education and entrepreneurship, and expansion of our renewal energy platform with an institution that can provide, in one location, research capabilities and practical applications that allow for implementation in a reduced time frame."
ASU, which intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025, has installed over 78,000 solar panels across its campuses.
Image: Gary Dirks, director of ASU LightWorks and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, ASU Provost Robert Page and US Virgin Islands Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. discuss sustainability. Photo: Courtesy of Sarah Mason.
