Pennsylvania Solar Power

Surprisingly enough, Pennsylvania receives as much solar radiation as South Texas making Pennsylvania homeowners ideal candidates for solar! In the past few years, government, private and public institutions in Pennsylvania have shown dedication (and deep pockets) in their pursuit of clean energy. While a great deal of the funding in the state has been exhausted, the state’s main rebate program, the Pennsylvania Sunshine program, is still active. Pennsylvania is now a top-five state for solar energy in large part due to low cost solar installation costs. The median installation price in Pennsylvania has dropped to less than $6 per watt for small businesses and homes and $4.50 for commercial project- much lower than the national average of $7.15 per watt. With outrageously low installation costs, it is still a great time to take advantage of these solar incentives.

Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Requirements

Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS) mandates that 18% of all retail electricity provided to state residents be from alternative-energy sources by 2021. This standard is a little lower than other states with similar mandates, which typically require 20% over a similar period of time. However, what is exciting about Pennsylvania’s AEPS is that they have a photovoltaic (solar) carve out. Most states break down their alternative energy mandates into 2 separate classes, each with its own increase schedule. Class I (or Tier 1 as it’s called in Pennsylvania) includes solar photovoltaic energy, wind power, fuel cells, geothermal energy, etc. Tier 2 includes waste coal, municipal solid waste, and most large-scale hydropower. Because there is an individual photovoltaic requirement that is included in the Tier 1 increase schedule, this guarantees Pennsylvania’s continued support of solar power as it mandates that a portion of each electricity provider’s electricity to come from solar. Last year’s requirement was about .012% of all retail electricity which will gradually increase to .5% by 2020.

Pennsylvania is sure to accomplish its’ solar and alternative energy mandates with the $650 million it has dedicated to developing and expanding alternative energy. Approved in 2008, the Alternative Energy Investment Act not only provides hundreds of millions of dollars in loans for public and low-income clean energy projects, but also pollution control. What benefits Pennsylvanian residents and small businesses who want to invest in solar power is the $100 million Sunshine Solar Program that was included in the Act, which offers rebates of up to 35% of installed photovoltaic system costs.