A Major Milestone as Philly Goes Solar

Solar energy is the wave of the future. It’s clean, endlessly renewable, and, as technology and adoption of the energy method progress, it is becoming more affordable. The City of Brotherly Love is dedicated to getting solar energy to as many households as possible, as soon as can be managed. The driving force behind solarizing Philadelphia hit a major milestone this week in its goal to turn sunny days into energy.

Solar power is the energy of the future, and Philadelphia is committed to bringing it to everyone.

Solarize Philly is the name of the city’s solar energy program. It’s at the head of the City Council’s $1 billion energy campaign designed to aid all Philadelphians going solar at home. Chris Lewis the chair of the Philadelphia Energy Authority, excitedly reported that, with the rollout of Solarize Philly, 186 households elected to sign up for having panels installed on their homes.

As Lewis explains it, making the jump to solar energy is very easy and packed with benefits. “Solar panels are installed on the roof top and that of course provides clean efficient energy for the home owner,” he said. Of course, when talking about this topic, cost is always mentioned as a factor. Homes with solar panels installed will begin to see a drastic drop in their electric bills immediately, and experts say that the panels pay for themselves completely in about ten years. They are designed to last for about twenty-five years, so there is the capacity for tremendous savings here. “They’ve reduced their energy bills, and we’ve reduced the emission of green house gasses,” Lewis concluded, talking about homeowners who have made the switch.

With such a hit of an initial phase, Solarize Philly is ready to move on to the next stage in the city’s energy plan, says Lewis. Funds generated by the program will be reinvested into subsidizing the cost of solar panels for lower-income households so that they, too, can reap the benefits of solar energy.

An extra perk of Solarize Philly? It’s anticipated to create 10,000 jobs over the next three years.