Standing amid more than 50,000 solar panels, representatives from Pennsylvania’s Borough of Chambersburg, Safari Energy and Sun Tribe Development were joined by Pennsylvania State Representative Rob Kauffman, 89th District, and other elected officials to flip the switch and inaugurate a new 15-MW solar array.
The new facility will be owned and operated by Safari Energy and will provide 100% of its power to the borough under a long-term power purchase agreement. The system covers 86 acres and is expected to produce enough electricity to power more than 2,600 homes, or 10% of the borough’s annual electricity needs.
“We have worked with some amazing partners to achieve this much-desired outcome. I’m honored to represent a community that is making a commitment to our planet and our future,” said Alice Elia, Borough of Chambersburg Council President.
The Borough of Chambersburg is the largest of 35 municipal electric systems in Pennsylvania and is the only municipal electric system in the commonwealth to own and operate electric generating plants. Safari Energy, a PPL company, is a leading developer of solar power for commercial, industrial, and institutional customers nationwide.
The project was developed by Sun Tribe Development and sited on land that is also home to an active shale mining operation. The effort to design, permit and construct a solar power plant on the site required close coordination with representatives from the borough, Hamilton Township, Franklin County and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
“This project is a fabulous example of how to site a solar farm on land that has already been disturbed for another purpose, including mining,” said Danny Van Clief, CEO of Sun Tribe Development, which originated and developed the solar project. “It is also a project that would not have happened were it not for the vision and determination of Sun Tribe’s many partners at the local, county and state level.”
