Sam Newhouse reports for Metro Philadelphia

The future of Solar power is looking brighter – with DRPA the latest local agency to seek out a new solar power deal. Pictured, a solar panel field near Bavaria, Germany. (Wikimedia Commons)

The City of Philadelphia and SEPTA recently announced moves toward getting more electricity from green (solar or wind) sources, and now, the South Jersey-based Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) has revealed similar, even grander plans.

DRPA's board in November 2018 approved plans to source more than 50 percent of the electricity they use and to power PATCO trains from South Jersey to Philly using solar power.

To do it, they aim to set up solar panels on top of PATCO stations and bridges across the Delaware River. The Commodore Barry Bridge, Betsy Ross Bridge, and their headquarters, One Port Center on the Camden waterfront, along with Lindenwold Yard, Lindenwold Station, Woodcrest Station, Ashland Station, and Ferry Ave Station will also host solar panels. Solar canopies would go over parking, storage, and work areas, with ground-mounted arrays and ballasted flat roof mounts also used for solar panels.

All told, DRPA plans to set up a 22-Megawatt solar panel array. That's about five times more power than Lincoln Financial Field generates in green power (four megawatts) from its 11,108 solar panels, the largest solar-panel array in Philadelphia, plus 14 wind turbines. It would be six times larger than SEPTA's planned three-megawatt solar panel array on the roofs of its three largest maintenance facilities. The project is targeted for completion by October 2020.

"The Authority’s strategic goal to advance sustainability and environmental stewardship in 2019 and beyond is improving the environmental impact of the organization," Christina Maroney, Director of Strategic Initiatives at DRPA/PATCO, said via email when asked why the proposal came about.

But even if you don't care about climate change or the environment, solar and other renewable energy sources – which for years have been called overly expensive and inefficient by detractors – increasingly seem to make economic sense for municipal agencies and authorities.

DRPA said over 20 years, they expect to save $12.2 million on electricity under a 20-year power-purchase agreement with Sunpower Corporation, by locking in solar prices that are 2.3 cents lower per kilowatt-hour than the blended rate they currently pay for electricity.

Likewise, the City of Philadelphia says it will save money through a new 20-year power purchase agreement to meet 22 percent of city government's electricity needs from a proposed 70-megawatt solar facility in Adams County. SEPTA is reviewing proposals to source 10 to 20 percent of their electricity needs from green sources, and Temple University is rumored to be looking into a long-term green energy contract as well. (Temple did not immediately respond to requests for comment). Earlier this week, Gov. Tom Wolf declared new environmental priorities via executive order – including a call for the state to procure approximately 40 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources.

Read the full story

Like this? Click to receive free updates