Commentary

River Reporter

By JACK BARNETT July 19, 2023

Photo courtesy of Lightsource bp, solar developer and owner

A 20MW solar array, one of three in Franklin County, PA supplying electricity to Penn State University. Learn more at Learn more at lightsourcebp.com/us/project/penn-state-solar.

Several people have recently asked why so many “large” solar arrays are being proposed in Pennsylvania—such as the one that was denied its permit last month and covered in the July 13 River Reporter (riverreporter.com/stories/shining-light-on-the-missing-pieces,105811). 

As is often the situation, there are multiple reasons, and timing is everything. 

First, how large are we talking? Locally, I’m not seeing nearly as large arrays as in other places, especially in western states. Locations there often have hundreds or thousands of acres of solar panels. That is rare in PA. 

The PA Public Utility Commission (PUC) database lists the state’s largest array at just over 22 megawatts (MW) or about 170 acres. That and the second largest array, both in Franklin County, are part of Penn State University’s (PSU) arrangement that together with a third array occupies a total of 500 acres and currently provides 25 percent of the electricity used at their 23 campuses statewide. 

These are also great examples of “agrivoltaics,” where the land is dual use, with sheep grazing and pollinator-friendly native plantings growing among the solar panels. 

Pennsylvania is late to solar energy

PA has few incentives for solar energy on its books, especially compared to New York or New Jersey, where residential, commercial and larger solar (sometimes called “grid-scale”) arrays are common, and permit applications or denials are rarely newsworthy. As of May 2021, PA met its goal of 0.5 percent solar electricity in annual retail sales by utilities, but has not further updated its portfolio goals (officially named the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard, or AEPS, a law originally passed in 2004). 

Our neighboring states (except for Ohio and West Virginia) have renewable energy goals of 50 percent or more, along with solar economic incentives to get there. 

PA’s limited solar incentives, plus our history of relatively cheap electricity, have kept most solar developers working, and investing, elsewhere. Electricity is the product from a solar array, and the more valuable that product, the more desirable it is to invest in an expensive solar array construction project, whether you’re a homeowner or a developer.

However since 2021: PA’s average retail electricity price increased by more than 70 percent during 2022; 

The PA PUC, under the order of the PA Supreme Court, removed a restriction (which was not in the text of the AEPS) that had previously limited the size of net-metered solar arrays to no larger than needed to produce just 110 percent of their annual electricity usage;

Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (read more at www.bit.ly/44NfkF9), which increased and extended the federal tax incentives for solar installations and other renewable energy investments;

PPL (and some other utilities) added a rebate for commercial solar arrays that reduce summer peak demand (when wholesale electricity is their highest cost);

PA Gov. Josh Shapiro was elected on a campaign platform to increase the state’s solar goal to at least 10 percent (and 30 percent across all renewables); and

The bipartisan “Community Solar” legislation (roughly similar to what New York has had since 2015) has been introduced in both the PA Senate and House, though no bill has yet been passed. These shared solar arrays will be limited in size, between 5 and 20 MW depending on the specific bill. 

All these send positive signals that solar is primed and ready to go in PA.

Solar developers are starting to move

In Wayne County (where I’m most aware), recent permit applications for larger solar arrays are most often for around 3 to 5 MW, an economic sweet spot under PA’s commercial net-metering. 

A typical 3 MW (of AC output, or roughly 4 MW in panel-capacity DC) ground-mounted solar array in our area will face almost directly south, with no trees, steep hillside or other shading to its south or on either side. It will occupy approximately 20 acres of open land. 

The project will have areas for stormwater runoff retention as needed, boundary setbacks and landscaping if required by local zoning rules, fences for security, etc. 

I’m aware of a 3 MW solar project in Hawley Borough that was approved, but the developer later canceled due to PPL grid upgrade costs.

There is one in Damascus Township that received its zoning approval, one currently seeking a permit near Sterling, plus several others where landowners have already signed a lease, an option to lease or are currently considering proposed leases from various developers.  

According to a recent Penn State Extension (PSE) webinar, a typical 25- to 30-year lease to a solar developer includes annual payments to the landowner between $300 to $2,800 per acre (but I’ve only heard of $800 to $1,400 locally). 

A developer might offer a higher amount in that range if the land has perfect slope and orientation, is particularly easy for construction activities, or where a utility substation or high-grade grid connection is nearby. 

Some offers might include an upfront payment just for signing the lease option, but that should be taken only with careful consideration. 

Both PSE and local nonprofit SEEDS (Sustainable Energy Education and Development Support) strongly recommend engaging a lawyer for an in-depth legal review prior to signing any long-term lease agreement. 

Regulations slow the progress

In any case, those annual lease payments will only start after all permits are approved and construction begins. So permit approvals are critical both to the developer and the landowner. And for those deeply concerned about reducing climate change, the sooner renewable energy replaces fossil fuels the better. 

In my previous article (read it at bit.ly/44p6Owd), I touched on the regulations and rules that solar arrays must comply with.  

For a typical 3 MW or 20-acre solar array, these include: 

electrical, fire and safety codes; 

limits on equipment radio frequency emissions; 

additional equipment and safety standards required for utility interconnection;

stormwater runoff and erosion controls, both during construction and ongoing operations;

waterway and wetland disturbance mitigation (if present); 

rules on worker pay and training, required to qualify for the new federal tax incentives;

avoiding impacts to any PA endangered species (e.g., northern long-eared bats) or PA historical resources (e.g., archaeology sites);

PennDOT rules for public road access (or local ones, if not located on a state road);

local municipality land use, noise, dust, lighting and zoning rules (if in place);

registration with the PUC;

property tax laws (which increase tax revenues for our schools and local governments);

plus compliance with deed restrictions and lease terms (note: landowners can require return of the land at lease termination to its pre-construction conditions with a bond or stringent penalties otherwise).

Projects on the slow boil

Approvals can take a long time, especially if different agencies require multiple iterations of the site plan. To speed things along, project engineers (especially those not familiar with PA permitting) should request a pre-application meeting with the local zoning/code officer. 

All construction projects with earth disturbance of more than an acre require a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, which in PA is delegated to the Department of Environmental Protection, but starts by filing an application with the county’s conservation district office. 

The Wayne County Conservation District can facilitate and also strongly encourages a pre-application meeting with project engineers; call 570/253-0930.

Full approval by all agencies and the utility could still take a year or more. In fact, for interconnection approval to higher-capacity transmission lines (typical in PA when an array is larger than 5 MW), the current queue as reported by PJM—the mid-Atlantic regional transmission operator—has a wait time longer than two years. 

When connecting to a local utility, an engineering study is usually done to determine what grid upgrades might be needed, and then the cost estimation for that will take more time and must be paid by the solar developer.  

At the local level, many municipalities have not updated their land use or zoning ordinances to easily deal with where or how multi-acre solar arrays can be located. Applications therefore typically require multiple public hearings prior to approval (or denial). Damascus Township, which passed its solar ordinance in 2017, has declared a nine-month moratorium, as of June 19, on all solar zoning permits for any size array both residential and commercial, while they consider changes to those rules. More potential delays. 

I’m a solar advocate, but I’m not for “all out” solar development at the cost of unfair treatment of landowners, harm to the local community or to the environment. Solar energy production needs to grow faster if we’re to limit further climate impacts, but it must be done right and equitably. 

Some restrictions are clearly important, such as for public safety, stormwater runoff, or visibility from the Delaware River—part of the Wild and Scenic River system. But some recently proposed new restrictions on solar from Harrisburg, and locally too, are clearly political grandstanding or biased by other energy industries and counter-interests. 

Solar energy is coming 

Solar will come to PA in many forms and sizes, on residential and commercial rooftops, ground mounts in backyards, on brownfields and abandoned mine lands, on multi-acre “solar farms” and even larger grid-scale arrays. PSU has additional solar projects in process that are intended to provide 100 percent of their statewide electricity needs.

PA’s incentives, as well as state and local rules and restrictions, will impact where, how much and how fast the benefits of solar arrive here. Look across the river at the benefits New York and New Jersey are getting from their solar investments. It’s time to do the right thing for local well-paid “green” jobs, PA landowners, community residents and the world.

Jack Barnett is a retired electrical engineer and is now a volunteer solar energy and sustainable living advocate on the board of SEEDS of Northeastern PA. He is also a co-founder of the Clean Energy Cooperative, an all-volunteer mission-oriented small-scale solar developer based in Honesdale, PA. 

Have questions about solar energy? Send them to info@seedsgroup.net and Jack will attempt to answer your questions in future Sustainability articles.

Lawmakers in the General Assembly should act on community solar legislation.

City and State PA

By ROBERT S. BAIR JUNE 16, 2023

A solar farm was constructed in a former parking lot at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. BRIAN LAWDERMILK/NASCAR VIA GETTY IMAGES

I have spent my adult life in Pennsylvania as a 36-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and last June I was fortunate enough to be elected president of the Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council. I know the value of hard work and I fight every day to make sure that our Building Trades members are heard and represented in the halls of government. I champion our unions, support and foster apprenticeships and encourage young people to get involved in the trades. I do this because I care about Pennsylvania and its workers. 

In this state, we value hard work and hard workers. We can always do more to provide them with additional opportunities, but an opportunity we are leaving on the table in Pennsylvania is a measured and concise solar energy expansion. The introduction of community solar to this state would create countless jobs across the state – jobs that pay family-sustaining wages for years to come. 

Pending legislation in Harrisburg would allow solar panels to be placed on available commercial rooftops, brownfield sites and undeveloped property to allow the energy to be connected to the grid. Pennsylvanians would then have the opportunity to opt in to community solar projects.

For a lot of Pennsylvanians, solar energy is out of reach due to the cost of installation and the space necessary to house the solar panels. This would allow all of us to opt in to the use of cost-efficient solar energy with a targeted approach that benefits workers, their families and their communities.

Data backs this up: Pennsylvania State University conducted a study on the potential impact of community solar and the results were impressive. Overall, the construction phase of these facilities in Pennsylvania would support more than 11,000 jobs and generate $1.8 billion in economic activity. This includes income directly from the projects as well as the additional economic activity that occurs as these dollars move through the economy, benefiting everyone. 

But the benefits don’t stop after the sites are constructed: Once the projects begin operating, they will continue to support 520 jobs and generate $83.3 million in economic activity. This extra financial support and job creation opportunity would be enormous for Pennsylvania, as other states are taking advantage of these programs already. 

Pocono Record

Michelle McBride Casale May 11, 2023

Why would installing solar panels on farmland benefit all of us? We all like to eat but don’t ever think that our food comes from anywhere but the grocery store.

We all use electricity without ever thinking about it: from charging our phones, flipping a light switch, or doing laundry. We also never think about from where electricity comes.

It’s just that outlet in your wall, right? Well, farmers work hard dodging rain clouds and droughts to do their best to put food on the grocer’s shelves; and, most electricity is generated from fossils fuels that pollute our environment. So how do we keep farmers in business and generate cleaner energy?

We put them together. Senator Rosemary Brown is proposing legislation to allow solar panels to be placed on farmland, above crops and small livestock. We all want to save the environment with clean energy (since we all love our devices) and farmers need to have a secondary supplemental income to help with the times crops are lost to untimely rain or drought.

Farming is a labor of love and the next generations don’t necessarily have that same love of sweaty labor. It is becoming less financially feasible without the secondary income.

Solar panels can provide that necessary income by being placed above crops to allow the land to have a dual-use: agriculture and solar. Please support legislation to allow community solar.

Without the secondary income of solar, many farms will be sold for developments and warehouses, which means more traffic, more pot holes, more stress on roads, schools, police and fire departments. Community solar can be the help farmers need to continue providing food for us and our animals, while helping keep the air clean to breathe and producing clean energy at the same time.

Solar energy is a cornerstone to solving the climate crisis and realizing a more just society

April 19, 2023

Pennsylvania Capital-Star

By Elowyn Corby and Kermit O 

Discussions about climate change are often abstract, technical, or refer to a crisis on the distant horizon. A global temperature increase of 2 or 3 degrees Celsius (is that a lot?), greenhouse gasses, melting ice caps, extreme weather events.

For Pennsylvanians, these things may not seem like immediate threats when compared to the more urgent crises too many of us face everyday: food insecurity, spiking energy bills, unaffordable housing, and a lack of well-paying work.

But the truth is that we’re feeling the effects of climate change right here, right now, and it’s inextricably linked to our everyday struggles. In fact, it is making them worse, from the heat island effect increasing asthma hospitalizations, to the more frequent flooding ruining people’s homes in Eastwick.

Solar energy is a cornerstone to solving the climate crisis and realizing a more just society. And renewables are now the most cost-effective forms of energy being added to the power grid, outcompeting gas.

Because of the potential for community and individual ownership, solar has the unique ability to shift power – literally and figuratively – from corporate interests to real people. Yet for too many Pennsylvanians solar is out of reach, due to exactly the barriers you might expect: cost, living situation (e.g. renting), dilapidated roofs that can’t support panels, or simply lacking the bandwidth to navigate the process.

Enter community solar: local arrays, often under community control, providing power to many homes and businesses at once. Community solar creates local jobs, accelerates energy independence, lowers electric bills, and increases resilience by keeping the power on when large utilities fail.

Consider the example of Puerto Rico’s microgrids, which provided people with energy when the island’s entire grid went offline during Hurricane Maria. Community solar also flattens the curve of energy demand, and diversifies our energy mix so we’re better prepared in an emergency. This is especially important for low income and Black and Brown communities disproportionately impacted by climate change, and who have the least access to resources to protect themselves.

Although community solar is accelerating rapidly across the nation, here in the Keystone State we’re still waiting for our elected officials to get on board.

This is a problem because the status quo isn’t working: In most cases, monopolistic utility companies are taking a passive approach to decarbonizing their grids, if they’re not actively lobbying to maintain the existing system. Enabling community solar in Pennsylvania would allow everyone, regardless of housing type or income level, the opportunity to choose local, reliable, and affordable clean energy.

Schools, churches, and community centers that already provide services to the public could become solar energy hubs — like Shiloh Temple International Ministries, a church in North Minneapolis, which in 2018 installed a solar array on their roof to provide energy to about 30 mostly low-income homes.

With luck and elbow-grease, 2023 can be the year we pass community solar legislation – and we need to get it right, by maximizing low-income benefits.

Acting now will also allow us to capitalize on unprecedented federal investments in clean energy and build out that support into local clean energy economies.

The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will allocate billions of dollars in funding to climate mitigation and resilience projects, and emphasizes the importance of prioritizing communities that already have high energy burdens and are contending with environmental injustices. By using this funding for solar projects, low-income families could find much needed relief from rising electricity bills, which make up an oversized portion of their household expenses.

Unfortunately, having to wade through bureaucracy to access this funding creates a high barrier to entry for many people — especially those whose capacity is already drained by the everyday challenges of making ends meet.

Community solar programs would enable organizations to take on the burden of navigating these systems, and guarantee a wider impact. We have already seen how existing programs often have guaranteed savings, and set aside a meaningful portion of their capacity for low and moderate income participants.

This clean energy future is not just possible, it is essential. Pennsylvania should take the lead from the most impacted communities to decide which mix of provisions is best for our state.

We are calling for a process that engages with community voices and results in a program with strong consumer protections, and an emphasis on supporting low and moderate income communities.

If we are truly invested in creating an equitable society, with clean energy accessible for all, we need to push for community solar that’s responsive to the needs of Pennsylvanians, and places energy under the control of local communities.

Every day we wait, too many communities across the state miss out on solar’s potential to lower the cost of living, create local jobs, reduce toxic pollution, and build a brighter, more equitable, and resilient future.

Elowyn Corby is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director at Vote Solar, a national clean energy advocacy non-profit. Kermit O is an organizer and abolitionist working with communities at the intersections of land, food, and environmental justice, actively exploring paths toward self-determination and long-term resilience. Both are Pennsylvania residents.

Scranton Times-Tribune

April 4, 2023

The sun shines everywhere but state law casts shade on its ability to produce electricity just about everywhere. Now, bipartisan bills in both houses of the state Legislature would allow community solar energy projects to increase power production, reduce power costs and create thousands of renewable energy jobs.

Community solar projects differ from utility-scale projects, in which utilities build and operate large-scale solar farms and sell the electricity that they generate. Community projects are smaller. They enable individuals, businesses, nonprofits, civic groups and others to invest in solar projects in exchange for credits on their electricity bills. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the credits usually amount to 10% to 15% of the participant’s monthly power bill.

Republican state Sen. Rosemary Brown of Monroe County, who also represents part of Lackawanna County, sponsors a Senate community solar bill, saying that “creating a market for additional electricity options is a way to keep consumer costs down.”

That alone is a worthy goal. But Democratic Rep. Peter Schweyer of Lehigh County, sponsor of a similar House bill, said it also would extend solar power cost savings to people who can’t afford to install their own solar arrays who live where that is not possible.

“My district has a lot of apartment buildings and multi-tenant homes, and right now they’re being excluded from a renewable, affordable energy source just because they don’t have a single-family home in the suburbs,” he said.

Proponents pointed to a 2020 study of community solar power by researchers at Penn State University, who found that community solar would create about 12,000 jobs and generate $1.8 billion in direct and indirect economic activity, in addition to competitive pressure on power prices.