Solar States Blog

When the eggheads at Princeton University set out to put solar panels on the roof of the building that houses the Research Collections and Preservation Consortium, the project looked doomed to fail. After all, Tom Nyquist, Princeton’s director of facilities engineering says that the array will not produce enough to power the building and that the costs will be considerable. But the project looks like a smarter long-term investment as it launches Princeton into the world of SREC’s.

SREC’s, or Solar Renewable Energy Credits, are units of produced power. Each time a solar electric system generates 1,000 kwh of electricity, the project’s investor–in this case, Pennsylvania Power & Light–can then sell or trade the SREC’s. As power is being pumped back into the electricity grid, Princeton is effectively renting their roof space to Pennsylvania Power and Light in exchange for reduced energy bills. The result is a fully functional and sustainable power system with no upfront costs to Princeton.

Solar Ivy

The best part about this system is that solar is the fastest progressing energy technology, increasing in productivity by over 10% per year. So, over the useful life of the array, Princeton will continue to get more bang for their buck until the solar array takes over for their power needs alltogether. And as this technology takes off, the value of SREC’s improves so everybody wins.

You don’t get into the Ivy League without having a few good ideas up your sleeve. And you don’t get to be a permanent fixture at the Princeton library without pulling your weight. If you do your homework, this is a good deal for all involved.

The Amish way of life has learned to live side by side with secular residents in Lancaster County for years, despite differences in the way the two cultures choose to live. But while Lancaster’s newest proposed addition will involve electricity, it shouldn’t ruffle too many Mennonite beards as this improvement is both respectful to the environment and completely silent.

Suburban Philadelphia’s Community Energy unveiled plans this week to build a $20 million solar array on 40 acres of farmland in East Drumore Township, Lancaster County. The solar farm would generate enough electricity to power 900 homes using nothing but the sun.

Amish ingenuity to use natural resources to create energy is at the heart of this simple innovation. And with the productivity of solar panels increasing everyday, it is likely 900 homes is a conservative estimate over the 25-year lifespan of the array.

The success of this plant will create construction jobs and help diversify the state’s coal-heavy energy portfolio. Keep it here for updates on this and other projects around the state.