Government Agencies: PA Clean Energy Communities Campaign

TRF Sustainable Development Fund and SmartPower launched the Pennsylvania Clean Energy Communities Campaign to challenge municipalities throughout Southeast Pennsylvania to become state leaders in promoting and purchasing clean energy.
The original mission was to enlist ten Pennsylvania townships and boroughs to commit to purchase 20% of their municipal energy from clean energy sources by 2010. Additionally, local volunteers would have to enroll clean energy purchases from 7% of the utility customers within the community, or enough purchases to amount to 60,000 kWh per month.  In return for meeting these goals, the municipality would be designated a Pennsylvania Clean Energy Community, and awarded a 1 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system, or a $10,000 grant to be applied towards an even larger solar system.  These PV systems consisted of six panels, and would serve as public education and awareness tools, or “solar billboards,” as well as generate renewable energy for the township or borough.
In order to meet these goals, SmartPower committed to building a strong coalition of local stakeholders. Knowing that community-based marketing must rely upon the dedication of key community institutions, SmartPower worked closely with municipal environmental advisory councils, schools, faith-based groups and fraternity organizations. It goes without saying that the success of this campaign is the result of their commitment to working together to help their communities become leaders in clean energy.
 
That success was recognized at the end of the campaign, on May 31, 2009 when 20 communities—double the original goal—had worked successfully to become Pennsylvania Clean Energy Communities. This achievement was also the result of the collaboration of the Campaign Coalition—clean energy stakeholders who came together and lent their valuable resources to this program and helped see it to fruition. PECO Energy, Community Energy, The Clean Air Council, Solardelphia and Native Energy were among the coalition members whose work gave these communities the chance to become the clean energy leaders they are today.

Here’s what we achieved:
- 20 Pennsylvania Clean Energy Communities with new, solar PV systems
            * 17 1-kW solar systems awarded
            * Three $10,000 grants awarded and applied to larger systems
            * All systems installed on public buildings and accompanied with signage
- Over 24,000 kWh/year of solar energy generation
- 20 municipalities purchasing clean energy
            * Two municipalities are purchasing 100% renewable energy
            * 11 municipalities are meeting the 20% by 2010 goal
            * All 20 municipalities are purchasing at least 10% renewable energy
- Over 3,939 MWh of annual clean energy purchases by municipalities.
  (Includes only purchases from the 14 communities reporting in 2009)
- Over 2,486 metric tons/CO2 reduced each year from municipal purchases + solar
- 3,329 new, non-municipal clean energy customers
- 4,202,400 kWh of total monthly, non-municipal clean energy enrollments
- 36,216 metric tons/CO2 reduced each year from monthly clean energy enrollments
(Sources include reports from PECO Wind and Native Energy. Reductions determined using the US EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator.)