CHESTER COUNTY, PA — On Thursday, September 28th, the Pennsylvania Solar Center will honor 17 Chester County organizations with the prestigious Lodestar Award during their Sunset Soiree at solar-powered Stargazers Vineyard & Winery from 5:30-8:30 PM. The Lodestar Award is a distinction given to Pennsylvania entities that are leading the way in investing in clean and renewable solar energy. Awardees will include:
- A. Duie Pyle
- Berwyn Squash & Fitness Club
- Blue Moon Florist
- Buck Run Farm
- Chester County Intermediate Unit
- Church Farm School
- Delaware Valley Friends School
- Franklin Commons
- Great Valley School District
- Knox Equipment Rentals
- Longwood Gardens
- Lyons & Hohl
- Stargazers Vineyard & Winery
- Sun Center Studios
- United Sports
- West Chester Borough
- Yates Mushroom and Produce Co.
Sponsored by Terawatt sponsors BAI Group, BOW Renewables, EIS Solar, and Formation Energy, as well as Gigawatt sponsors Energy Toolbase, Independence Solar, Leeward Renewable Energy, and RWE, the event will feature remarks from state Representative Danielle Friel Otten (D-Chester) and the PA Solar Center’s executive director, Sharon Pillar, as well as showcase the solar arrays of the Lodestar Awardees.
The luminous evening will also be filled with fantastic food, a solar-powered wine tasting, and beautiful music by local performer Allison Landon. All are welcome at the soiree; guests are asked to register here and to join others in wearing the beautiful colors of the sun and/or sun-themed accessories.
“The PA Solar Center is excited to host our first Sunset Soiree, and we’re so honored to be joined by so many wonderful local organizations,” said Sharon Pillar, Founder and Executive Director of the PA Solar Center. “Solar is becoming an increasingly big player in the energy landscape across the country, thanks to its cost-efficiency and sustainability. But we’re not realizing its full potential in Pennsylvania due to stagnant policy. It’s our hope that the work of many people — including those whom we’re celebrating during the soiree — will help Pennsylvania take advantage of the huge economic development and jobs opportunity offered by the solar industry pipeline by raising the benefits of solar to our state’s decision-makers. We have the ability to create tens of thousands of jobs if we get the policy right.”
More and more Pennsylvania businesses, schools, and organizations are choosing to go solar, and not just for sustainability reasons. Investments in renewable energy sources like solar and wind are also extremely cost-effective, paying for themselves relatively quickly and then achieving impressive cost savings down the road.
Entities that go solar wisely recognize that an investment in renewable energy is also an investment in their local communities. Pennsylvania renewable energy projects have created almost 10,000 jobs spanning the entire supply chain since 2004, from technicians and engineers to salespeople, construction workers, and manufacturers. According to the Finding Pennsylvania Solar Future Project, increasing the solar portion of the state’s electricity mix from the current 0.5 percent goal to 10 percent by 2030 would create upwards of 100,000 jobs and result in a net economic benefit of $1.6 billion annually. The current 0.5 percent goal flat-lined on May 31st of 2021, but if the state’s General Assembly would increase it, they would diversify the energy mix which would help to stabilize rising electricity costs that have been seen in the past couple of years.
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