Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund
This year our Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund was particularly active. In part, we supported a solar thermal energy company in Lawrence County that we think has a lot of potential, we financed a waste heat recovery project in Bradford County and invested in an energy efficiency company that seeks to help nonprofits and is now working on energy efficiency projects with both the Johnstown Area Heritage Association and St. Benedicts Parish in Geistown, and an energy efficiency project at the Shawnee Market in Shellsburg in Bedford County.
We made a grant to the Disasters Edge Environmental Center at the St. Michael’s Flood Site for a geothermal project that will save Cambria County taxpayers up to 30% of its electric bill for the center. We supported a comprehensive energy efficiency plan that engages all 21 buildings and all 13,000 students in the Erie School district.
We even added support to the Stone Bridge project with a grant to help upgrade the light being installed to high efficiency, low maintenance LED lighting as a way to demonstrate the technology. You’ll be seeing the bridge lit up in a highly efficient array of colors before long!
This coming year will see the creation of a dedicated Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund website that will have a lot more information about the fund activities.
