Technologies like solar, wind, and geothermal are exciting, but relatively new and untested in the context of universities, many of which are large enough to be cities unto themselves. And, like cities, universities count on a reliable, uninterruptible source of power. It is imperative, too, that precious dollars are wisely invested in the right kind of alternative energy solution for a school's location. A solar initiative may seem like the obvious undertaking for a school in a sun-soaked region, but without serious investigation, universities may find themselves making expensive and long-term decisions without proper data. That is why three forward-looking institutions--(1) the University of California-San Diego; (2) The Catholic University of America (District of Columbia); and (3) Adelphi University (New York)--are using state-of-the-art monitoring systems and intelligence gathering to pave the way toward widespread adoption of alternative energy power sources. The author discusses how the three eco-conscious universities are collecting data from solar, geothermal, and wind-power pilots to learn whether alternative energy is feasible on a larger scale. (Contains 7 online resources.)