PECO received approval this week from the Public Utility Commission to purchase up to 80,000 solar alternative energy credits, the equivalent of six megawatts, during 10 years as part of the company’s ongoing fulfillment of the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards.

Enough energy to power nearly 1,000 homes for 10 years, it would take about eight football fields of solar panels to produce six megawatts of energy. Once complete, the company’s purchases could result in the same environmental benefit as planting more than 48,000 acres of trees or not driving more than 133 million miles.

“In 2008 PECO embarked on the first phase of a five-year major environmental initiative to preserve the environment and help our customers and the communities we serve become more environmentally responsible,” said Denis O’Brien, PECO president and CEO. “The increased use of renewable types of energy is an important part of our efforts. By purchasing these credits and ‘banking’ them to meet future requirements we are helping encourage new solar projects and fostering the development of the renewable energy market.”

The AEPS legislation requires that, beginning in 2011, more of the energy used by PECO customers be generated from renewable resources such as wind and solar. This requirement is measured by renewable energy credits. Renewable energy credits are sold by electric generators on a one-to-one basis each time they produce one megawatt-hour of renewable energy.

The PUC approved PECO’s request to conduct a request for proposals (RFP) to competitively purchase 8,000 solar energy credits each year during 10 years. Both solar farms and businesses and institutions with large rooftop solar panel systems will be eligible to participate. This competitive RFP will be similar to others PECO has used to purchase renewable energy credits in recent years.

Since PECO’s first wind energy credit RFP in March 2008, the company has signed agreements to purchase more than 2.2 million renewable energy credits during five years.

Other PECO environmental projects include the installation of a green roof and new Crown Lights on the company’s Center City headquarters; the opening of PECO’s first ‘green building’ in West Chester, recently awarded silver certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED); improvements to secure LEED certification for many other company work sites; the increased use of hybrid and biodiesel vehicles; support for community environmental projects; and enhanced tools and programs to help customers use energy more efficiently.

These efforts support a broader environmental initiative at PECO and also are a component of Exelon 2020: A Low-Carbon Roadmap, the comprehensive environmental strategy of PECO’s parent company.

Exelon 2020 sets the goal of reducing, offsetting or displacing more than 15 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2020. This is more than the company’s current annual carbon footprint and is equivalent to taking nearly 3 million cars off American roads and highways.

For more information visit the PECO Alternative Energy webpage.