This summer, our state legislature passed Solar for Schools – allowing school districts in Pennsylvania the opportunity to cut energy costs by installing on-site solar.
Modeled on this successful bipartisan effort, Representative Merski from Erie County introduced HB 2577. If passed, it would allow municipalities and emergency responders to apply for a grant to install their own solar systems to cut energy costs.
This legislation will provide several benefits. The grants will allow municipalities and first responder agencies to save money and become more resilient. Solar energy systems can decrease energy bills at these facilities, allowing them to operate more efficiently.
Every grant from this program will create a new solar project, requiring a crew of workers to get those panels online. This will save taxpayers money and create jobs.
Lastly, Pennsylvania is ranked 44th in the country for solar energy. Solar deployment at municipal and emergency responder buildings will showcase the reliability and cost-saving effectiveness of these systems. By providing more examples of solar efficiency, more people will trust solar, influencing further solar deployment across the state.
HB 2577 does nothing but provide benefits to Pennsylvanians. Savings on monthly bills, using less energy, and creating jobs are projects all Pennsylvanians can support.
