PA Invests $24 Million to Support Alternative Energy Projects

37 Projects in 16 Counties Will Save 26,600 Megawatt Hours of Electricity Each Year

Harrisburg – Pennsylvania is expanding its commitment to advancing clean, solar energy with the investment of $24 million in 37 projects in 16 counties, Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Austin Burke said today.

“These new projects are creating jobs while helping to make the development and deployment of solar technology more affordable,” Burke said after the projects were approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority on July 7. “Ultimately, this means substantial energy savings for families, businesses, schools and municipalities that use clean, renewable technologies.”

The 37 projects, approved through the state’s solar energy program, are in Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Franklin, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York counties. They are expected to leverage nearly $88 million in private investments.

The solar projects will have an installed capacity of more than 24 megawatts and will generate at least 26,600 megawatt hours of electricity annually, or enough to power approximately 2,700 Pennsylvania homes. In addition to generating 26,600 solar renewable energy credits a year, the systems will annually save $5.2 million during each of the next 20 years.

Burke said one of the projects, Frazer/Exton Development LP, will receive a $2.7 million solar energy program grant for the purchase and installation of a solar photovoltaic system next to Makamie at Whiteland, a planned senior housing community to be developed in East Whiteland Township. The 1,800-kilowatt, ground-mounted system will generate 2.3 million kilowatt hours of energy annually, which could save the facility $286,000 in annual energy costs. The $8.6 million project will leverage an additional $5.8 million in private investment.

The Commonwealth Financing Authority administers Pennsylvania’s economic stimulus programs, including portions of the $650 million Alternative Energy Investment Fund that Governor Rendell signed into law in 2008.

For more information on state alternative energy investment programs available through the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit www.newpa.com or call 1-866-466-3972.