Businesses, nonprofits, and municipal organizations will learn how innovative program will guide them through each step of the process and help them take advantage of various programs to save money with solar energy
Chester Springs, PA – G.E.T. Solar Northern Chester County is a program of Northern Chester County Clean Energy Future which is a local group of community leaders from multiple municipalities. The program touts the benefits of going solar and is partnering with nonprofit Pennsylvania Solar Center to host a free informational webinar for local businesses, nonprofits, municipalities, and other types of organizations regarding a program that will assist organizations in going solar over the next six months. Businesses and nonprofits who want to learn more about going solar and how it can save them money are encouraged to attend. The online event will be offered on three separate days from 12:00 to 1:30 PM to accommodate varying schedules:
•
Thursday, September 14th
•
Tuesday, September 19th
•
Wednesday, September 20th
Whether it’s cutting down on utility costs or lowering their environmental footprint, there are many reasons why more organizations are choosing to go solar. Many companies and organizations save thousands to millions of dollars in energy costs over the 30+ year life of their solar system while reducing their environmental footprint at the same time.
“Now is a great time to go solar,” said Leo Kowalski, Director of Programming at the PA Solar Center. “There are more than 46,000 solar owners in Pennsylvania receiving the benefits of stable or free energy pricing for decades to come. Recently, the Inflation Reduction Act expanded and extended the federal solar
tax credit to 2032, hopefully encouraging more organizations to make the transition to clean energy and, in the process, save them a lot of money in energy costs over the life of the system. There are also additional tax credits available for low-income and energy communities, combined with accelerated depreciation, USDA REAP grants, and other grant and loan programs. These options and more will all be discussed at the upcoming webinars.”
The federal tax credits can also extend to tax-exempt organizations such as municipalities and nonprofits, so they benefit as well. In addition, the webinar will explore various partnerships that can make solar for nonprofits feasible with little to no money down. Solar energy can provide savings on a nonprofit’s electric bill that will divert crucial funds to fulfilling their mission instead.
“There is a lack of clarity in regard to going solar, so come learn the facts from us during these webinars,” said Kirk Reinbold from West Vincent Township’ clean energy team. “We are excited that our community was selected to participate in this program, as it will help our businesses and organizations explore whether solar works for them. We couldn’t do this without the expertise and help of PA Solar Center and look forward to this partnership. This is also in line with our regional mission to help entire communities successfully navigate through the clean energy transition and reap the significant benefits.”
The meeting will provide an overview of solar energy and offer creative ways for businesses and nonprofits to realize its benefits. Attendees can expect to learn more about the following:
–
Technical assistance from the PA Solar Center to understand your solar potential
–
Tax credits
–
Grant programs
–
What to look for when selecting a solar developer
The PA Solar Center will even offer a free assessment of an organization’s solar potential to those that attend these webinars, and if interested, could issue RFPs on their behalf to get bids from qualified solar developers. PA Solar Center will then review the bids with the organizations so that the decision-making process is simple, transparent, and easily understood. Joining together to explore solar can also offer discounted pricing when solar developers are bidding on multiple projects in one area.
Those interested in attending may register here:
•
Thursday, September 14th
•
Tuesday, September 19th
•
Wednesday, September 20th
About the PA Solar Center The PA Solar Center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with the mission to expand the benefits of solar to all Pennsylvanians to build more resilient communities. The Center seeks to educate, advocate, and transform, by offering savvy media communications and online resources for all solar stakeholders; evidence to decisionmakers and advocates about the benefits of robust solar policy; and technical assistance to non-profit organizations, businesses, and communities to help them go solar. The PA Solar Center also provides an online directory of qualified solar developers, a map of notable solar installations, a monthly solar webinar series, and a listing of solar events happening across the state. Learn more at www.pasolarcenter.org.
GSC_flyer-2023-0823 (1)
About Northern Chester County Clean Energy Future Northern Chester County Clean Energy Future (NCC-CEF) started as a multi-municipal project across four townships: West Vincent, East Pikeland, Schuylkill and West Pikeland. The project resulted in the development of clean energy transition plans that have now been accepted by their local governments and that focus on multiple sectors: municipal operations, residences, businesses, schools and non-profits. The overarching goals are to reduce expenses as well as greenhouse gas emissions. While the four townships are currently implementing these plans throughout their communities, NCC-CEF volunteers intend to partner with residents and like-minded organizations from other municipalities to facilitate community engagement beyond the borders of the originating townships.
###
