Federal grant to move region's solar power forward

Dec 08 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It turns out clouds aren't the biggest thing holding back solar power development in Western Pennsylvania.

A mish-mash of fragmented, confusing and costly municipal regulations and a lack of funding options to mitigate installation costs has hurt solar power installation more than a lack of sunshine, said Sharon Pillar, program manager for PennFuture's solar programs in Western Pennsylvania.

Ms. Pillar said a $315,697 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, announced at a news conference Downtown Wednesday, will be used to remove those barriers and reduce costs through PennFuture's Three Rivers Solar Source project and a coalition of commissions and environmental and business development organizations, Allegheny County and 23 municipalities.

In the coming year, the coalition will work to produce and have municipalities adopt streamlined model ordinances and zoning rules, and also reasonable and uniform municipal permit fees, codes and inspections. It will also create financing tools to help defray costs of solar panel installation for businesses and individual homeowners.

"I hope this grant and the work it will enable us to carry out will finally put to rest the canard that Pittsburgh can't support solar," said Ms. Pillar, who admitted that rainy days like Wednesday feed the misconception that solar isn't doable here.

She said Pennsylvania is the fourth-largest solar power producing state in the nation, with 110 megawatts installed, enough to power 12,000 homes. Western Pennsylvania has seen a small boom of 170 solar installations over the last three years, but they're small, producing only 3 megawatts of power.

Ian Smith, solar energy consultant for Standard Solar and secretary of the industry group SUNWPA, said solar installations have increased in recent years but that the end of the state's $100 million Sunshine program this year, which provided subsidies, will hurt the industry.

Mr. Smith urged passage of HB 1580, the Solar Jobs Bill, which would increase the incentive to install and invest in solar power by gradually adjusting its share of the state's alternative energy portfolio. The bill has 107 co-sponsors in the 203-member House.

Municipal members of the coalition include Aspinwall, Baldwin Borough, Brentwood, Carnegie, Dormont, Etna, Forest Hills, Green Tree, McKees Rocks, Monroeville, Mount Oliver, O'Hara, Pittsburgh, Richland, Scott, Sharpsburg, Shaler, Stowe, Upper St. Clair, West Mifflin and Wilkinsburg in Allegheny County; and Midland and Monaca in Beaver County.

Allegheny County, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the Congress of Neighboring Communities, Solar Unified Network of Western Pennsylvania and the Green Building Alliance are also members.

Don Hopey: dhopey@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1983.

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