On Thursday, November 29, Philadelphia City Council unanimously passed legislation allowing the City of Philadelphia to finalize a contract for a large-scale solar power purchase agreement!
The agreement will account for 22% of the City’s electricity needs by 2020, helping to advance rapidly the City’s greenhouse gas reduction and clean electricity procurement goals.
Agreement details:
— 70 MW Solar PV facility to be built in Adams County, PA
— Will account for 22% of the City’s electricity needs
— Cost-competitive with conventional electricity prices
— Contracting with Community Energy Solar of Radnor, PA
— 20-year term at a fixed rate
— City purchases electricity and renewable attributes from the project but will not own or operate the facility
— Will be the largest solar farm in the state when built
— Construction to be completed by 2020
Benefits:
— Long-term fixed rate will help prevent price spikes
— Advances City’s greenhouse gas reduction and clean electricity procurement goals as outlined in the Municipal Energy Master Plan
— Will help drive regional demand for renewable energy
— Agreement is a model for other municipalities and institutions
Thank you to the nearly 90 individuals and organizations that signed Green Building United’s letter of support and to our members who provided testimony at the hearing on November 14. Your efforts helped this important bill come to fruition!
For more on the agreement and its impacts, please see the City’s press release, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s article, and the text of the bill itself.