By Ellen Foreman, Moshannon Group
Local governments in the Centre Region are nearing the finish line to sign a solar power purchase agreement (SPPA) that will commit municipalities, authorities, county government, and one school district to use solar to power their energy needs. In 2019 a working group which included the six centre region municipalities and nine other affiliates formed to determine how best to move forward. In addition to reducing dependence on fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the group is aiming for energy cost reductions as well.
“This will be a landmark project in terms of its size and the diversity of the public sector groups involved,” according to Peter Buck a former member of the Sierra Club Moshannon Group’s Executive Committee and co-director of the Local Climate Action Program at Penn State’s Sustainability Institute. He helped conceive of the project. He serves as Vice Chair of the SPPA working group, on the project management team handling business, policy, and technical aspects, and on the State College Area School District’s School Board.
In spite of the pandemic, work progressed steadily, and specs were developed for grid solar that could supply more than 20 MW of power. Nine proposals came in from three developers. The working group narrowed it down to four projects from one developer. At this stage, each entity is committing the percentage of power they will purchase from the provider over the 15-year life of the contract. Patton Township, for example has committed to purchase 100% of its power through the agreement.
Several Sierra Club Moshannon Group members have been actively advocating for the plan with area municipalities. Joan Bouchard, special projects manager for Sierra Club Moshannon Group said in testimony before the State College Borough, “At this point in the planning, the main danger seems to be underestimating what collective needs will be in the next 15 years, resulting in the construction of a solar field that is too small.” She expressed her gratitude to those who stepped up and made commitments to this project, “Thank you from all of us who live in Centre County – what you’re doing today will help to pass on to our grandchildren a sustainable world where they can live without fear of species extinction, rising oceans, food and water insecurity, global warming, and climate catastrophes.” Moshannon Group Conservation Chair Nancy Parks has also provided testimony on the project. As of April 3, the total volume commitment appears to be about 27 million kWh of electricity annually, the equivalent of roughly 2,500 homes in the United States according to the Energy Information Agency.
With final commitments from all the entities expected within the coming weeks, the final vendor selection is planned for the second quarter of 2023.
The agreement is modeled after one executed by Penn State University, located in the Centre Region. Penn State entered into a 25-year Solar Power Purchase Agreement in 2019 with Lightsource BP. This 70MW project is a utility-scale ground mounted solar array that will provide 25% of Penn State’s state-wide electricity requirements with expected cost savings of $14 million and the reduction of the University’s greenhouse gas emissions by about 14% from 2005 levels.
The participating entities include: College Township, Ferguson Township, Halfmoon Township, Harris Township, Patton Township, Borough of State College, Centre Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), State College School District (SCASD), State College Borough Water Authority (SCBWA), College Township Water Authority (CTWA), Centre County Government, Centre County Refuse & Recycling Authority (CCRRA), Centre County Housing Authority, Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA), Centre Hall Potter Joint Authority.
A website that provides updates on the project can be found here. For more details on the area’s Climate Action and Adaptation plan visit CentreSustains.com.