Meeting the moment: Federal funds foster rapid solar adoption in Beaver County

Mario Leone knows trailblazing is the key to longevity — particularly in a rust belt borough once defined almost exclusively by its smokestacks.

Leone joined Ambridge as manager four years ago after more than a decade working in Monaca borough government.

He quickly spearheaded efforts to diversify Beaver County’s energy portfolio and expand its public-facing electric vehicle infrastructure. Ambridge became the first municipality in the county to install electric vehicle charging stations for public use last year.

Now, Leone has set his sights on rooftop solar with help from RiverWise, PA Solar Center and New Sun Rising.

The Beaver County Rural Innovation Though Solar Empowerment (RISE) Project offers a broad spectrum of technical support to non-residential solar energy projects in Beaver County.

It’s an effort to foster grassroots agency in environmental justice communities for those most vulnerable to legacy pollution and extractive industries’ economic downturns.

The initiative received $100,000 last year from the federal Infrastructure Law and recently won an additional $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energizing Rural Communities Prize.

So far, the team has developed a catalog of more than 100 potential solar projects expected to generate nearly 25 megawatts of solar energy. That’s roughly $74 million in energy savings over 25 years.

Four of these projects have since secured $1.5 million in funding for construction, which will be matched with federal funds to generate a combined $3 million.

One fully-funded enterprise is the installation of rooftop photovoltaic, or solar, panels on the Ambridge Municipal Building.

Ambridge received more than $135,000 from the Beaver County Environmental Mitigation Community Fund — which was created after Shell exceeded total emissions limitations at its Potter Township cracker plant — plus state incentives to complete its 102-kilowatt solar system. This will address escalating electricity costs, a measurable tax burden on the community, Leone said.

The PA Solar Center is working with the borough in hopes of putting the project out to bid early next year.

“We will be offsetting approximately 90% of the borough building’s energy consumption and that relates to approximately 79% of our entire borough electric consumption,” Leone said. “We’ll save somewhere around $25,000 a year. That equates to a new police car lease, for example. As energy prices continue to rise, that $25,000 actually escalates in value. It was a no-brainer.”

An essential piece of the proposal was securing grant funding and connecting with the PA Solar Center, Leone said.

Ambridge Borough Manager Mario Leone

The RISE Project partners had the necessary tools and resources to propel the project forward.

“Grant funding for installation was key, because typically in the governmental space when you're presenting a proposal to elected officials and their elected terms are four years, they want to be able to capitalize on that vote within that four year period,” Leone said. “A solar project that has a nine-year payback just isn't sexy for them.”

In the future, Leone said Ambridge may consider converting a vacant piece of property into a solar farm to generate the remaining portion of the borough’s electricity and “possibly selling some of that surplus to residents.”

“As a government entity, we like to take the lead,” he said. “Hopefully it encourages homeowners to implement this technology on their rooftops, too. You have to keep growing and embracing new technologies.”

Thanks, in part, to The RISE Project, three other solar initiatives are crossing the finish line with full funding in Beaver County.

This includes a canopy array on the roof of Neighborhood North: Museum of Play in Beaver Falls that will power an educational kitchen exhibit, a solar system at the Franklin Avenue Cafe and Park in Aliquippa and a large-scale installation to help power New Brighton School District.

New Brighton Superintendent Joseph Guarino said the system will save the district on electricity costs to reinvest back into the community.

That may mean hiring a new teacher, or remodeling older buildings, he said.
“Those are things we can do without asking the community for more money,” he said.

New Brighton Superintendent Joseph Guarino

Even amid the ever-shifting political landscape, polling routinely shows Pennsylvanians support efforts to diversify the state’s energy options — and that local elected officials tend to underestimate their constituents’ support for solar and similar energy projects.

Research published this summer in Nature Energy revealed over three-quarters of Pennsylvania voters support significantly increasing the use of renewable energy like wind and solar to generate electricity.

In a related survey of more than 200 policymakers from township, municipality and county governments, the Princeton-led research team asked elected officials about the types of energy projects they thought their constituents would support. Respondents had trouble believing residents would prefer other types of energy projects to natural gas.

Beaver County, like Pennsylvania, is home to a varied range of views on renewable energy, but many residents support energy diversification.

Abby Alberti, a Rochester resident grabbing coffee before heading to work in Pittsburgh, said she read about The RISE Project in the local newspaper and “is interested in learning more about solar.”

“I’m for anything that keeps the lights on,” she said. “And for choice, including with energy. If you can make it affordable, that can’t be a bad thing. I think if people knew the benefits, they’d be open to it.”

Dan McGill, of Ambridge, echoed those thoughts. He hadn’t heard about the borough’s plans to go solar, but said he could get on board with the initiative.

“If they can do it without raising taxes or building in places that don’t make sense,” he said. “Gotta meet the moment when it comes.”