June 16, 2020

The Renew PA Works campaign is run by the Pennsylvania Solar Center, a non-profit project of our fiscal sponsor the New Sun Rising. This campaign to galvanize thousands of Pennsylvanians to call for more renewable energy complements the work by the Renewables Work for PA coalition of more than 100 renewable energy companies and advocates working to increase the amount of renewable energy in Pennsylvania as a remedy to economic recovery and climate change. Our united voices are important to expand clean energy as legislators face well-financed political pressure to support fossil fuels instead.

As millions of unemployed workers know, COVID-19 has decimated the United States economy on a local, state and national level. However, there is a solution for Pennsylvania communities. Renewable energy—solar, wind and energy storage—is a jobs-incubating solution for a post-pandemic economy. Renewables can create tens of thousands of jobs, bring billions of dollars of private investment to communities and help save our family farms.

SIGN ON TO THIS LETTER TELLING YOUR LEGISLATOR THAT YOU WANT MORE RENEWABLE ENERGY & JOBS IN PENNSYLVANIA

The Pennsylvania General Assembly needs to pass an increase to the current low renewable energy goals of the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS) that are set to grow to only 8% renewable energy (0.5% from solar) by May 2021.

Pennsylvania lags behind other states, many of which have renewable energy goals of 50% or higher. Once we hit the target next year, Pennsylvania’s renewable energy growth will stall - leaving a promising industry behind. To capitalize on this opportunity, legislation should be passed that raises the goal to at least 18% renewable energy by 2025, with 5.5% in-state solar, which puts us on the pathway to 30% by 2030 with 10% solar.

There are two bills in the General Assembly – House Bill 1195 and Senate Bill 600 which call for 30% by 2030 and a new proposal (co-sponsorship memo) from two legislators saying that they will post a bill calling for 18% by 2025 (with 5.5% solar). In essence, these bills have identical trajectories – just with two different timelines so either approach would be a good step.

These bills are expected to ignite the Pennsylvanian clean energy sector. Research shows us that moving to 30% renewables with 10% solar will:

·       Generate 60,000-100,000 jobs in the solar industry alone; many more may be created in wind, low-impact hydro, energy storage, methane digesters and ground source heat pumps (i.e. geothermal)

·       Provide $1.6 billion to taxpayers and municipalities from fuel cost savings

·       Help farmers to save their land by supplementing their income (almost $2.3 billion) with solar land lease payments for 20 years for large scale solar projects. Pennsylvania lost 6,000 farms over the past several years. Solar can help save other farms and also build more large scale solar

·       Protect consumers by creating a diverse energy mix. Without an increase in renewable goals, we expect to see natural gas dominant our fuel mix with a 70% share of the electricity market by 2035.

·       Lower wholesale electricity costs for everyone by shaving peak demand with renewables. Adding renewables to the grid benefits all electricity customers – even those who haven’t purchased renewables directly - because renewables are often working during the peak demand hours and avoid the use of dirty and expensive peaker plants.

This unprecedented economic emergency calls for immediate action—please sign this petition that calls your legislators to expand renewable energy in an effort to provide much-needed economic relief to our state.