HARRISBURG, July 13, 2010 – State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Delaware/Montgomery) is happy to announce thatthe Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) has approved a grant to install solar panels at two deserving schools in the 17th Legislative District.
CFA awarded a Solar Energy grant in the amount of $704,450 to Colonial Solar, LLC for the purchase and installation of a rooftop solar photovoltaic system at two Colonial School District schools. The grant funding will enable the use of a 440-kilowatt rooftop device at Colonial Middle School and a 265-kilowatt system for Colonial Elementary School. The solar panels will generate approximately $880,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually, which could save the district nearly $110,000 in energy costs every year.
Leach, who has throughout his legislative tenure been a staunch advocate for clean energy initiatives, expressed his gratitude for the grants.
“I have spent my time in office supporting reforms and programs that will benefit our environment and cut down on Pennsylvania’s carbon footprint,” he said. “After all of our hard work and efforts to build awareness about clean energy, it is encouraging to see energy efficiency strategies being implemented in our own back yard. It brings me great pride to announce that two schools within my very own district will soon become a part of the clean energy landscape.”
In a recent correspondence,Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Austin Burke added, “These new projects are creating jobs while helping to make the development and deployment of solar technology more affordable. Ultimately, this means substantial energy savings for families, businesses, schools and municipalities that use clean, renewable technologies.”
The Solar Energy grant is part of a statewide initiative to equip schools and businesses with alternative energy capabilities and includes 37 projects in Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Franklin, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York counties.
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