Jul 7 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Jarrett Renshaw The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.



Hailing it as a symbol of the city's commitment to green energy, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski announced Wednesday the completion of a solar energy project at the Bridgeworks Industrial complex that he hopes will become a model for the Lehigh Valley.

After four years of planning, the city has installed 420 solar panels on the saw-tooth roof of the Bridgeworks Industrial Center, a former brownfield at 641 S. 10th Street that houses a number of city departments.

Since being activated in early March, the solar panels have generated enough energy to power five homes for a year and a television for more than 400,000 straight hours.

"There are millions of square feet of industrial roof space in the Lehigh Valley, and if we can do it here, we can do it throughout the region," said Pawlowski. "We are not only lowering our carbon footprint, we are setting an example that this is a viable alternative."

 The $517,000 project was funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, which has helped 1,500 projects across the state.

The Allentown solar project is expected to generate roughly 112,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually, officials said. That energy would be sold back to the grid and reduce reliance on power plants, which impact the environment.

Using the city's estimates and current market values, the city would make about $15,000 a year from selling the power generated from the solar panels.

The city has provided a way to monitor the energy savings, along with the environmental impact. On its website, under a section called Allentown Conservation Initiatives you can track the number of kilowatt hours produced daily, monthly or annually.

You can also find out that if the energy produced by Allentown so far was generated at a traditional plant, it would produce the same amount of pollution an average passenger car emits over 12 years.

State Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger used the ongoing heat wave as a teaching tool to highlight the benefits of solar power and other renewable energy sources. He said with air-conditioning systems, fans and other heat-beating appliances churning, there is great demand on energy plants.

"Allentown is selling power to the grid, and taking some pressure off," said Hanger. "In times like these, every kilowatt counts."

jarrett.renshaw@mcall.com

610-820-6539

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