Maximize Roof Space for Clean Energy: Pennsylvania Can Benefit from Solar-Ready Warehouses
Two key bills aim to accelerate clean energy expansion and decrease electricity costs by requiring newly constructed warehouses to incorporate solar-ready design features, while offering tax incentives to retrofit existing buildings
PennFuture knows that placing solar on warehouses and distribution centers represents an opportunity to reduce electricity costs, provide high paying local jobs, and reduce the impacts of climate change. That is why the state’s leading environmental advocacy organization is working with legislators to advance two bills – the "Solar-Ready Warehouse and Distribution Center Act" and the "Solar-Ready Warehouse and Distribution Center Retrofit Tax Credit Act" – to unlock greater access to clean energy for Pennsylvanians and support a reliable, low cost electric grid.
Under the legislation, all newly constructed large-scale warehouses and distribution centers shall be designed and constructed to accommodate solar installations, with a minimum of 40% of the roof area built to accommodate solar photovoltaic systems. Additionally, all existing warehouses and distribution centers will be eligible for a tax credit to retrofit at least 40% of their roofs as solar-ready zones.
“Pennsylvanians are facing skyrocketing electricity costs because we are far too reliant on fossil fuels,” said Patrick McDonnell, president & CEO of PennFuture. “This legislation will ensure that millions of square feet will be made available to clean energy that will diversify our grid, create jobs, and lower costs for residents. Warehouses and distribution centers can be part of a broader solution to our energy needs while providing these facilities with a potential revenue stream and this legislation ensures that those opportunities are not lost.”
Major transportation corridors like the Lehigh Valley and south central Pennsylvania have been ground zero for the intense buildout of large distribution and fulfillment centers, and this expansion must be properly sited and managed. PennFuture continues to fight against construction proposals that would harm exceptional value waters and wetlands, riparian buffer habitats, and sensitive environments and communities. These bills ensure logistics facilities across the Commonwealth are responsible community members and encourage that large warehouses, if built, can be leveraged as a source of renewable energy for the state.
These initiatives could capitalize on the adoption of a community solar program in Pennsylvania. Warehouse owners can lease their roofs to solar companies, enabling them to sell clean power directly to Pennsylvania households and support the state's renewable energy goals. As the cheapest form of energy, the deployment of rooftop solar will provide cost savings to Pennsylvanians.
Solar-ready warehouses could be a game-changer for Pennsylvania, creating new economic opportunities and opening up new job opportunities while making significant strides toward a sustainable, clean energy future.