On May 30, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and Acting Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection Jessica Shirley touted the potential economic and environmental benefits of building solar facilities on abandoned mine lands in Pennsylvania at a news conference at a newly operational solar farm in Beaver County.

The new solar site, owned by Four Twelve Renewables, will partner with the Dollar Energy Fund to ensure proceeds from the site go towards helping to lower utility bills in low-income communities.

Dollar Energy Fund helps to lower utility costs by providing grants to those who have nowhere else to turn because they are not eligible for government assistance, providing direct assistance to prevent termination and to restore service, and partnering with community-based agencies to provide additional resources that may benefit low-income households.

“So many communities, such as those here in Beaver County, or my hometown of McKeesport and all across southwestern and northeastern Pennsylvania, bear the scars of our state’s mining and industrial past,” said Lt. Gov. Davis.

 “As the steel plants or coal mines closed, those communities have often struggled to compete in the new economy, and local residents live in the shadow of brownfields or abandoned mine lands that can cause pollution.

“As we see more opportunities for investment in solar projects, Pennsylvania should be strategic about promoting sites that can be remediated and put to good use, generating clean energy, creating new jobs and providing additional tax revenues for local municipalities.

“The report we’re releasing makes clear that former coal communities are assets and poised to be big winners as we transition to a clean energy economy,” said Lt. Gov. Davis.

Solar Potential On Mined Lands

DEP released a new report, “Assessment of Solar Development on Previously Impacted Mine Lands in Pennsylvania,” which found nearly 169,000 acres of abandoned mine lands across the Commonwealth that could potentially host solar facilities.

That includes 27,000 reclaimed and 142,000 unreclaimed acres.

[The report was developed with the assistance of the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and the PA Solar on Mined Lands project.]

Visit DEP’s Assessment Of Solar Development On Previously Mined Lands webpage for more information.

“Pennsylvania has tremendous potential for solar energy on abandoned mine lands. Our report shows that putting solar panels on just a small fraction of the suitable abandoned mine lands could produce enough electricity to power Pittsburgh,” said Acting Secretary Shirley. “We can clean up these sites, put them back into use with solar energy, and create jobs all at the same time.”

The report makes a number of recommendations, including establishing a goal of 9,000 acres (or 1,500 megawatts) of solar facilities on previously mined sites by 2032.

That would equal approximately 5 percent of the 169,000 acres that are potentially suitable for solar.

It also represents about 14 percent of the 11,000 megawatts needed to reach Pennsylvania’s Solar Future Plan goal of generating 10 percent of the state’s electricity needs by 2030.

Reaching that 10 percent target would help to create an estimated 60,000 jobs.

While the number of solar facilities in Pennsylvania is growing, the state currently ranks 24th in the nation for installed solar power capacity.

“We have an amazing opportunity here to rejuvenate these otherwise unused spaces by harnessing the power of the sun to provide clean, affordable energy and benefit local communities, said Paul Atencio, a board member of Four Twelve Renewables, owner of the BE Pine solar facility in Greene Township, where the Shapiro-Davis Administration made today’s announcement.

“This site specifically will go a step further using the site’s generated funds to provide utility assistance to local neighbors in need through Dollar Energy Fund,” said Atencio

"We are immensely proud of our partnership with Dollar Energy Fund, which has been instrumental in our ongoing efforts to ensure no resident of Beaver County has to choose between essential needs,” said Zabriawn Smith, executive director of Housing Opportunities, Inc.

Click Here for video and photos from the event.

Related Articles:

-- DEP Issues Request For Information For Clean Energy Generation, Storage Projects On State-Owned Abandoned Mine Lands; Webinar June 10  [PaEN]

-- Lt. Governor, Acting DEP Secretary Highlight Potential Of Solar Power On Abandoned Mine Lands At Beaver County Site; Issued New Report On Solar Potential Of Mined Lands  [PaEN]

-- 60+ Organizations Call For PA Senate Passage Of Community Solar Legislation [PaEN]

-- PUC Publishes Final Policy Statement On Use Of Electric Storage To Enhance Grid Reliability, Resilience And Reduce Energy Costs  [PaEN]

-- Keystone Energy Efficiency Program Announces KEEP Home Energy Loan Contractor Training Events Starting June 4  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Feds Offer $90 Million For Vast Solar Energy Array On PA Mine Land In Clearfield County

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Yes, Solar Energy Can Work In Cloudy Pittsburgh

-- WESA: Swisshelm Park Solar Energy Project Radiates Pittsburgh’s Energy Future

-- Project Breathe: Solarpunk Future 2024 June 29 In Pittsburgh, Part Art Show, Part Job Fair, Imagines A Community-led, Sustainable Future, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

-- MCall Guest Essay: Shapiro Energy/Climate Plan Would Move PA Economy Into The Future, Protect The Environment - By Carbon Off

-- The Guardian: Increasing Use Of Renewable Energy In US Yields Billions In Benefits

-- US DOE, US Treasury, USDA Release Joint Policy Statement And Principles On Voluntary Carbon Credit Markets

[Posted: May 30, 2024]

6/3/2024