The Kennedy Center has a big flat roof. Perfect for solar panels, in fact—-and it may soon be put to use.

Just this week, the institution put out a call for input on how best to structure a formal request for proposals for an array of photovoltaic panels, laying out these reasons:

1. The Kennedy Center desires to increase the amount of electricity it obtains from renewables with an on-site project where the energy will be used on-site to offset conventional utility power supply.

2. The Center seeks to protect against volatile energy markets.

3. The Center realizes the benefits of employing local trades to install and maintain the system rather than spending that money to import energy into the district.

4. The Center has a unique opportunity to educate a large number of visitors about solar technology utilizing real-time displays in the building, providing literature for visitors, or through other means.

The roof has 65,600 square feet available for solar panels, which could support one megawatt worth of power. That’s a small percentage of the building’s average usage, but it’s still relatively huge: American University recently claimed it had the “one of the largest” in the city, at 532 kilowatts. Google’s Mountain View campus has 1.6 megawatts. So, get ’em, KenCen.

Image via Wikimedia Commons