Bucks County Tour to Showcase Innovative Technologies, Economic Opportunities of Solar Power

DEP Officials to Visit New Britain, Jamison

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Environmental Protection will coordinate a tour of solar projects in Bucks County on Friday, Sept. 17.

"Pennsylvania's solar industry is energizing our economy," said DEP Secretary John Hanger. "Across the state, we are benefiting from the industry's rapid growth in the past 18 months. These projects are generating clean, renewable energy while creating jobs for manufacturers and installers. For homeowners, schools and businesses that have recently installed solar, those benefits soon will become even more evident."

Hanger added that the new Bucks County solar users that have agreed to open their doors to the public—the Malone residence in Jamison and Chant Engineering in New Britain—are examples of how an increased demand for solar energy has made Pennsylvania one of the leading states for renewable energy development.

Hanger will begin the tour at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 17, at the home of Duane and Sandy Malone, 2524 Lockleigh Road, Jamison. The Malones installed a 7.2 kilowatt residential system within the last month; they expect their investment and the project to meet nearly 100-percent of their annual electric needs.  

At 11 a.m., acting DEP Small Business Ombudsman Robert Taylor will tour the new 122.4-kW solar array at Chant Engineering's headquarters, 59 Industrial Drive, New Britain. The firm made the business decision to add the solar array to their already energy-efficient facility.

Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act (AEPS) requires that one half of one percent of the electricity used within the state come from solar by 2021. Since that law's 2004 enactment, Pennsylvania has become one of the leading states for renewable energy development, particularly in the solar sector. The state has approximately 39 megawatts of solar power currently installed—enough to supply electricity for 5,900 average homes in Pennsylvania, with an additional 130 MW now in the construction or planning stages.

Moreover, AEPS has led to particularly steep declines in the cost of solar energy. The median installed costs for small business and residential photovoltaic projects in the state have dropped from about $9 per watt in 2008 to about $6 per watt in August. Projects larger than 1 MW now have costs of about $4.50 per watt.

Billions of dollars are being invested in solar. Despite the global recession, the American solar industry grew by 36 percent in 2009. More than $1.4 billion in venture capital was invested in solar last year alone.

"The General Assembly soon will consider whether to increase Pennsylvania's solar requirement to 1.5 percent, tripling the current requirement and providing a stable economic foundation for the solar industry to continue to thrive in the state," said Hanger.

"Growth of our state's solar industry is due to the aggressive standards that we passed six years ago. Now that other states have enacted higher solar requirements, though, Pennsylvania must continue to move forward and update our own standards. If we don't act now, we will be faced with the possibility of losing jobs and solar opportunities to other states with more incentives to help this rapidly expanding industry grow even further," he added.

For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us.

Media contact: John Repetz, 717-787-1323

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

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