A Pennsylvania solar installation by Sunpeak.
On June 25 at 11:00 a.m. ET, nonprofit the PA Solar Center will host an online meeting and press event to announce the launch of its GET Solar SWPA program to expand solar throughout the 10-county region of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
GET Solar SWPA will offer trusted, unbiased technical assistance and financial guidance to organizations and businesses considering making the transition to solar energy to save money and stabilize their electricity bills. This program will include coordinated outreach with help from regional partners to maximize the number of entities that could benefit from solar.
Partners for GET Solar SWPA include:
- Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
- Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance
- Congress of Neighboring Communities: CONNECT
- PA Sustainable Business Network
- Sustainable Pittsburgh / Sustainable PA
- RiverWise
- SWPA Hub
At the June 25 meeting, the PA Solar Center will go over federal tax incentives, grants and special financing for going solar, which can save organizations a significant portion of the cost for installing solar on their properties, as well as help in connecting them to qualified and reputable solar developers.
“Energy bills have risen significantly over the past few years, and they increased yet again by an additional 15% on June 1,” said Sharon Pillar, founder and executive director of the PA Solar Center “However, larger consumers of energy like businesses and other organizations can often save thousands to tens of thousands of dollars on their annual electric bills by going solar. Further, there are current tax credits and grant programs in place that can make the transition very favorable to the consumer — but we don’t know how long these programs will be around, so we’re encouraging businesses and tax-exempt organizations to lock them in by going solar as soon as possible.”
Many graduates of the GET Solar program from other regions of the state are now saving a lot of money by going solar. For example, Wesley Family Services, a nonprofit in Westmoreland County, recently went solar with GET Solar’s help and estimates that their solar system will save them $700,000 over the next 25 years. Their solar system covers an estimated 78% of their monthly electricity requirement.
The PA Solar Center is currently mapping the solar potential of non-residential entities in many communities through its volunteer PA SolarCorps program. After assessing 77 communities in Western PA, PA Solar Center has discovered 1,185 entities so far that, if they went solar, would have the potential to generate 323 MW of distributed solar, which translates into an estimated $973,807,000 of savings over the next 25 years. This illustrates the enormous potential for creating significant savings for the region that translates into the ability for businesses to hire more workers, schools to save teacher salaries, municipalities to avoid tax hikes and nonprofits and faith communities to better serve the mission of their organizations that benefit their communities.
Organizations interested in attending this meeting can register here. Attendance at the meeting is free, but registration is required.
News item from the PA Solar Center
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