Pennsylvania Senator Dan Laughlin, from Erie County, is reintroducing a bill designed to help renters and homeowners who can’t afford or install rooftop solar panels. This legislation proposes the creation of subscription programs that would ensure participants receive 100% solar power from local sources, rather than the typical grid mix. This initiative targets residents interested in supporting renewable energy but who live in unsuitable conditions for generating it themselves.
Currently, Pennsylvania’s retail electricity market allows residents to choose renewable energy plans, but most of the power comes from projects outside the state, such as in Tennessee or Kentucky. Furthermore, many marketed plans are not entirely “green.” Developers often sell their solar renewable energy credits to fossil fuel suppliers, which can use these credits to claim their electricity is partially renewable, despite originating from non-renewable sources.
Under Laughlin’s proposed bill, local sources would be required to retain their credits, thus ensuring that their energy contributes directly to Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard and is verifiably “green.” As of October 2022, the value of these credits in Pennsylvania ranged between $40 and $42 per megawatt hour.
The bill surfaces amidst controversy over another proposal, backed by the House, to install wind turbines in Lake Erie, which has faced opposition for potentially disrupting the local environment and economy. Senator Laughlin has expressed his opposition to the wind turbine plan, emphasizing the potential ecological risks and the lack of involvement from local stakeholders like property owners and fishing communities.
