PHILADELPHIA – Today, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, City officials, and the Philadelphia Energy Authority gathered at City Hall to celebrate the completion of the Adams Solar Project. The 70-megawatt solar facility now powers Philadelphia’s municipal buildings with approximately 25 percent of electricity needs.
The Adams Solar Project is one of the largest projects of its kind in Pennsylvania, featuring around 230,000 solar panels that span approximately 700 acres across a dozen parcels near Gettysburg. With the solar facility up and running, the City now uses close to 30 percent renewable electricity in its energy portfolio, making significant progress towards the Municipal Energy Master Plan goal of powering municipal facilities with 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030.
“Purchasing electricity from the Adams Solar Project will reduce our carbon emissions, help meet our climate goals, and support family-sustaining regional jobs in the renewable energy sector,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “We thank the Philadelphia Energy Authority and Energix Renewables for their partnership in leading the way for a safer, cleaner, greener Philadelphia with economic opportunity for all.”
In 2018, the City entered into a long-term agreement with the Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) to purchase solar electricity. PEA in turn entered into the 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with Energix Renewables, the owners of the Adams Solar facility. Through the Power Purchase Agreement, the City committed to purchasing electricity for 20 years at a low fixed rate that is competitive with conventional electricity prices, which is expected to save the City money in the long run.
Power Purchase Agreements for renewable energy are a key tool for the City to power municipal buildings with 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030. Today, the Office of Sustainability and PEA are releasing a Request for Proposals for one or more renewable energy projects. The City hopes to purchase enough electricity from solar, wind or other renewable energy projects to fulfill the remaining 70 percent of municipal energy needs with renewable electricity. More information about this opportunity can be found at philaenergy.org/public-bids.
“By investing in renewable energy infrastructure like Adams Solar, and promoting clean energy adoption, the municipality strives to lead by example as Philadelphia works towards its broader citywide decarbonization goals,” said Elizabeth Lankenau, Interim Director of the Philadelphia Office of Sustainability.
“This project supports Philadelphia’s climate goals, created jobs and economic development and provided training opportunities in solar for Philadelphians,” said Emily Schapira, CEO of the Philadelphia Energy Authority. “It provides long-term budget certainty and saves the city money. We could not be prouder to finally flip the switch on this project to provide clean power to Philadelphia.”
About the City’s Office of Sustainability
The Office of Sustainability (OOS) works with partners around the city to improve quality of life in all Philadelphia neighborhoods, through addressing environmental justice, reducing the city’s carbon emissions, and preparing Philadelphia for a hotter and wetter future. The Municipal Energy Office, housed within OOS, is responsible for managing the municipal energy portfolio and its contribution towards carbon reductions. For more information, please visit phila.gov/sustainability.
About the Philadelphia Energy Authority
The Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) is an independent municipal authority building a robust, equitable clean energy economy for Philadelphia. PEA runs the Philadelphia Energy Campaign, a $1 billion, 10-year investment in energy efficiency and clean energy projects to create 10,000 jobs. PEA has supported over $904 million in projects and created over 7,600 jobs so far. Learn more at www.philaenergy.org.