By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent
In the birthplace of American independence, the solar industry will celebrate later this morning as the mayor, council and solar advocates gather for Solar Day in a ceremony designed to recognize the number of solar jobs in the Greater Philadelphia area and to unveil the latest class of young high school students that went through a vocational solar training. We talked with Laura Rigell, solar manager for the Philadelphia Energy Authority, to find out more.
Frank Andorka (FA): Why does Philadelphia celebrate Solar Day?
Laura Rigell (LR): The Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) has been working to grow the solar market in Philadelphia over the past year through Solarize Philly. Last year, Philadelphia was 4th in the country for solar growth and Solar Installer was listed as a High Priority Occupation for Philadelphia County.
The Solar Training Network sponsored tomorrow’s event “Solar Day for a Sustainable Philadelphia” to celebrate the growth in Philadelphia’s solar market and to highlight PEA’s leadership on solar workforce development. Mayor Kenney, Council President Darrell L. Clarke, Mike Innocenzo (PECO president and CEO), and Harold Epps, Director of Commerce will join the Philadelphia Energy Authority and The Solar Training Network at City Hall. The event will also honor the Summer 2018 graduates of “Find Your Power,” a solar and energy efficiency training course administered by the Philadelphia Energy Authority with funding from PECO.
FA: How many jobs has solar created in the city?
LR: The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census found that solar employment increased by 24% in the Philadelphia metro area from 2016 to 2017, for a total of 2,319 solar workers in greater Philadelphia. After just one year, the three solar companies serving customers through the Philadelphia Energy Authority’s Solarize Philly program created 42 new solar jobs.
FA: What is Philadelphia doing to encourage solar development?
LR: PEA administers Solarize Philly, a citywide program to help Philadelphians go solar at home. Since 2017, more than 3,500 households have signed up to receive discounted group pricing on solar energy options, and 236 have signed contracts for solar. PEA recently extended the deadline to September 30th, giving homeowners another chance to sign up for a free solar assessment at www.solarizephilly.org.
The city received SolSmart Gold designation in 2017. SolSmart is a national program funded by the DOE that recognizes municipalities and counties for making it faster, easier, and more affordable to go solar. Local governments achieve SolSmart designation by evaluating programs and practices, such as permitting, planning, and zoning, in order to reduce obstacles to solar energy development and pass cost savings on to consumers.
FA: What is the Find Your Power program?
LR: The Find Your Power program is a solar and energy efficiency training course administered by the PEA with funding from PECO. The course is taught by instructors from Solar States and the Energy Coordinating Agency and is administered as part of the Philadelphia Youth Network’s WorkReady program. PEA first piloted ‘Find Your Power’ in the summer of 2017 and expanded it as the first ever clean energy course offered to District students during the school year, receiving a $100,000 contribution from PECO.
FA: How many graduates are there this year?
LR: PEA offered “Find Your Power” to a cohort of 20 students this summer and placed 10 students who had previously completed the program in relevant internships at local clean energy businesses and other organizations.
FA: What is the next step for those graduates?
LR: All of the students in the Summer Find Your Power received OSHA10 certifications. 15 of the graduates from the program will be returning to high school this fall. Of the remaining 5, 1 is studying at Lincoln University this fall, and the other 4 are starting their job search. Graduates of “Find Your Power” will be well-positioned to join the city’s growing solar jobs market. PEA will support these students to pursue employment in the clean energy economy.