CAMP HILL, Pa. — The impact of a big solar project in Cumberland County is coming into focus. Lower Allen Township made the switch to solar energy in June of 2023, which township manager Tom Vernau says has been successful so far.
"Initial prospects look like we're going to hit at least our projections," Vernau said. "Right now we're projecting 93% in our first year."
The move is also projected to save the township money.
"We're looking at saving about $40,000 to $50,000 a year."
2,000 panels are at the Township building on Gettysburg Road and at a second location to power the township’s traffic lights, street lights, and municipal buildings.
It’s an innovative approach that’s slowly gaining ground on roofs across the Commonwealth.
"Between 2017 and 2022, we saw small-scale solar in particular grow by 2.3 times, which is good. It's solid," PennEnvironment Climate & Clean Energy Associate Ellie Kerns said. "But we're generally not making as much progress as most of the other folks in the area."
Pennsylvania is slowly getting on board with renewable energy, specifically solar. Kerns says new incentives and falling costs are driving demand up for solar panels despite hesitancy with price and weather problems.
"I think that’s definitely a trend we’re going to see in the next few years," Kerns said. "It's going to be economic and just be really smart to go solar."
Pennsylvania lawmakers are also aiming state regulations in hopes of increasing requirements, an effort supported by PennEnvironment.
"The biggest one that we're working on right now for growing solar in Pennsylvania is renewing and expanding the state's alternative energy portfolio standards [AEPS]" Kerns said. "
House Bill 1467 and Senate Bill 230 would increase the solar and wind energy requirements for electricity suppliers from 8% to 30% by 2030. House Bill 1842 is also looking to generate the infrastructure for the construction of community solar facilities in the Commonwealth.
In Lower Allen Township, the success of their switch could mean saving for residents, with the possibility of selling electricity at cheaper rates than local energy providers.
"It's an idea that is out there and it's being considered," Vernau said. "As we move forward with the current arrays and see how they work, we may revisit that in the future.”
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Vernau adds that the environmental impact on the community is also something officials are pleased with.
"There's been some satisfaction from both staff and the Commissioners on the energy that we're saving," Vernau said. "We have a neat little app that I go on to look and see how much electricity we're generating."
At the current rate, Lower Allen Township will produce 1,410,717 kilowatts of energy in the first year. That's equivalent to hundreds of cars off the roads, thousands of trees planted, and millions of pounds of coal saved.
COVER FOR THE POLICE
One of the not-so-obvious benefits of Lower Allen Township's solar panels is the canopies at the municipal building. They cover the fleet of vehicles utilized by the police department.
"The police officers certainly appreciate it when they go out to start their shift and they can get right in," Vernau said.
The canopies kept police cruisers covered during the multiple rounds of snow this winter, though they serve another purpose that is a common concern when discussing solar energy: space.
"The way that came about was we were just simply looking for more surface area here at this location without having to go on the roof," Vernau said.
THE FUTURE OF SOLAR IN PENNSYLVANIA
One of the many detractors of solar energy is the price it costs to make the switch. However, Kerns says they're slowly falling. There's also federal funding available.
"One thing in particular that we found helps alleviate people's worries a little bit is the tax credits and rebates that are now available from the Inflation Reduction Act," Kerns said. "That really opens up the door to getting solar to a lot of more people, businesses, and nonprofit organizations."
Neighboring states like New Jersey and New York have taken advantage of new avenues. In 2022, both states produced four times as much power from small-scale solar compared to Pennsylvania.
Still, many projects across the commonwealth signal Pennsylvanians' desire to go green. PennEnviornment built out a map of initiatives across the state.
"I know there's a lot of momentum building nationwide and in Pennsylvania, but we kind of just need to ramp it up a little bit," Kerns said.