Sustainability

Clean Energy

On July 21, 2020, the Solebury Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to join the Sierra Club’s “Ready for 100” campaign. The objective of the “Ready for 100” campaign is to bring 100% clean, renewable, and sustainable energy to Solebury (and more than 170 other US cities and 8 states) in all three energy sectors: electric power, heating, and transportation.

The goal is to move to 100% renewable electric power by 2030 and to have 100% renewable heating and transportation by 2050. This would apply to all residences, businesses, churches & municipal buildings. More information on Ready for 100 in Solebury will be posted here in the coming weeks, on the following topics:

Energy Efficiency

The most effective strategy for sustainable energy is using less. We can all make this happen by auditing our homes and businesses to locate and eliminate wasted energy.

For more information on how to audit your home, visit the PECO Website.

For help in selecting a supplier of renewable electricity, visit "PA Power Switch" at papowerswitch.com. Before you do your search, be sure to go to the "Special Programs" filter and select "Renewable Energy."

Renewable Energy for Residential and Commercial

Interior of Municipal Building Wind and Solar systems are becoming more and more efficient and now compete head-to-head with fossil fuels on price. As the Solebury Environmental Advisory Council locates innovative new systems installed in Solebury, we will highlight them here.

Roof-Top Solar at Bucks County Audubon
In the first quarter of 2021, the Bucks County Audubon Society installed a solar energy system at their Honey Hollow Environmental Education Center in Solebury.

According to Stacy Carr-Poole (Bucks County Society's Executive Director at the time): "We are a small organization looking for the most effective use of time and resources. For our 50th anniversary we decided the best thing – both for the birds and for our local community – was to go solar."

To finance the project, the society received hundreds of donations in response to its "Capture the Sun" campaign.

The system details:

Owner: Bucks County Audubon Society
Installer: Exact Solar
Energy supplier: PECO

Installation details

Roof mounted solar panels on 1930s era renovated barn
Southwest facing
Unobstructed by trees
Power output: 27,590 KW
91 solar panels, divided into 3 strings of 39, 39, and 13
3 inverters, one for each string of panels
Net metering

Installation experience

Solebury Township permitting was straight-forward
One week to install
After completion of the solar installation, installation of Net Metering equipment (by the energy supplier) took an additional 2 months

Software

"Solar Edge" (provided by Exact Solar)
Software measures electricity generated over each 24 hour period

According to the system's SolarEdge software, as of August 11, 2022, the system has produced 72 megawatt-hours of electricity and has saved more than 51 metric tons of CO2, equivalent to planting 852 trees!

For additional information, contact BCAS Board member, Will Bock, wbock@live.com

Additional information can be found at Bucks County, a SolSmart Community

Electric Vehicles and Vehicle Charging

Electric vehicles are now in the news on a daily basis. As vehicles with an electric range above 200 miles become commonplace and charging stations become ubiquitous, EVs are expected to become the vehicle of choice.

Come see Solebury’s new 7.7 kWh EV dual charging station at the township offices.

Heating and Air Conditioning

Most home and business heating in Solebury, today, uses fossil fuels. Nevertheless, there are options that use electricity, such as heat pumps. As heat pumps become increasingly efficient and effective, the goal is for economical electric heat to become the standard by 2050.