WHEREAS, On May 25, 2017, SEPTA’s board unanimously authorized the installation of solar PV systems at four bus and rail shops across the City of Philadelphia. The project is SEPTA’s biggest solar initiative, and when finished, will represent one of the largest solar installations in the City; and
WHEREAS, In 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) reported that the electric power sector accounted for 32% of U.S. total greenhouse gas emissions. The emissions lead to a rise in global temperatures and changes in weather patterns leading to a cascade of effects, including heat waves, and an increase in disease-spreading insects that cause health problems especially for children and the elderly; and
WHEREAS, Solar energy is a major renewable alternative energy source which can replace current fossil fuels like coal and gas for generation of electricity that produces air, water, and air pollution. Solar power can restrict climate change as it produces no carbon emissions; and
WHEREAS, The project is a key initiative of SEPTA’s recently approved second-generation Sustainability Program Plan,
SEP-TAINABLE 2020
, which includes a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from SEPTA’s operations and facilities by 20% by 2020; and
WHEREAS, SEPTA’s project team includes SunVest Solar, Inc., who will install and operate the panels under a 20-year lease agreement. The project team also includes Solar States, a Philadelphia-based solar installation and education firm; and
WHEREAS, SEPTA’s solar project will total 3.1 megawatts (“MV”) of installed capacity, which is the second largest ever in the City of Philadelphia, just behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ 3.2 MV facility at Lincoln Financial Field; and
WHEREAS, SEPTA’s solar project will increase the total installed capacity of solar PV systems across the City by more than 30%; and
WHEREAS, For years, SEPTA has been reducing energy consumption and emissions through initiatives such as hybrid-electric bus acquisition and LED lighting installation. The solar project, along with other exciting initiatives such as a new fleet of battery-electric buses to arrive this fall, demonstrates SEPTA’s enduring commitment to environmental improvement; and
WHEREAS, SEPTA’s solar project supports the City of Philadelphia’s Greenworks vision around clean energy by reducing carbon pollution and creating jobs in the local clean energy economy. The City of Philadelphia and SEPTA must continue to work together to produce environmental and sustainability initiatives that will contribute to a healthier and efficient environment; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA,
That Council does hereby
recognize and congratulate SEPTA for authorizing their largest solar initiative with the installation of photovoltaic systems at four bus and rail shops across the City of Philadelphia.
End