Philadelphia, August 12, 2019 – Mayor Jim Kenney, Council President Darrell L. Clarke (5th District), Superintendent William R. Hite, and the Philadelphia Energy Authority kicked off Philadelphia Solar Week by announcing the Year 2 outcomes of the Philadelphia Energy Campaign, and spotlighting the “energy makeover” of Northeast High School.
In just two years, the Energy Authority (PEA)’s Philadelphia Energy Campaign has invested $100 million in projects citywide designed to create energy efficiencies and 10,000 jobs by 2026.
“The Philadelphia Energy Campaign has positioned our city as a national leader in clean energy,” Mayor Jim Kenney said. “Projects like the energy retrofit at Northeast High School and Solarize Philly are driving economic development for the sectors that need it most, while advancing our climate goals.”
“This Campaign is having a tangible economic impact on Philadelphians, and PEA has made that happen,” Council President Clarke said. “Schools, homeowners, small businesses, multi-family properties and the City are already seeing savings on energy bills, and young Philadelphians are starting careers in clean energy as a result of the Philadelphia Energy Campaign.”
The Philadelphia Energy Campaign is a $1 billion investment in clean energy and energy efficiency projects. In 2018 alone, over $48 million of new projects were completed, leading to nearly 1,000 jobs created total over the course of the campaign from construction and energy savings.
“When we launched the Energy Campaign, we promised 10,000 jobs would be created as a result of this work. Our work has matured from a set of goals to feet-on-the-ground action, and we are proud to share that we are on track to meet our job creation and investment goals,” said Emily Schapira, Energy Authority executive director.
Joining City leaders at Northeast High were Councilmembers Derek Green (At-Large), Blondell Reynolds Brown (At-Large), and Brian J. O’Neill (10th District), Principal Omar Crowder of Northeast High, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and other partners of the Energy Campaign, including PECO, PGW, NORESCO, Johnson Controls, Solar States, KISS Electric and Arsenal Solar.
One of the Philadelphia Energy Campaign’s projects is a $23 million energy makeover at a pilot cohort of three high schools, including Northeast, Saul and Strawberry Mansion High Schools. These projects use energy savings to help pay for capital investments, like new boilers and windows, which make the buildings more energy efficient, healthy and comfortable for students.
The Campaign’s impact has reached beyond these larger-scale projects into neighborhoods across Philadelphia. PEA has conducted 78 free energy audits for small businesses, supported 363 homeowners to sign solar contracts at a discount through Solarize Philly, and enabled more than 67,000 households to sign on for water and sewer line protection, a program saving homeowners over $3 million in repairs.
PEA has administered solar job training to 70 high school students to help ensure that there is a trained workforce ready to step into the new jobs being created by the Campaign. In Fall 2018, PEA was selected for a $1.25 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy to implement Bright Solar Futures, a three-year initiative to establish the nation’s first Clean Energy Program of Study for high school students and train more than 100 students in solar installation.
The Philadelphia Energy Authority was formed in 2010 to support the city on energy affordability and sustainability, including developing long-term energy programs and policies. Go to solarizephilly.org/events to find other events coming up during Philadelphia Solar Week.
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Read the Philadelphia Energy Campaign’s Annual Report.
Photo: Jared Piper/PHLCouncil
