DEP Helps Dedicate Solar Energy Installation At Giant Food Stores Headquarters In Cumberland County

On April 25, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell and officials from GIANT Food Stores dedicated the completion of a 625-kilowatt solar panel array at the company’s headquarters in Carlisle, Cumberland County.  

“Addressing climate change and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels will require commitments from companies like GIANT to take an active role in changing how we think about the energy we use,” said McDonnell. “The Wolf administration is committed to expanding solar and other clean energy sources, and projects like GIANT’s both save money and improve the environment.”

Secretary McDonnell attended a short ceremony dedicating the completed first phase of the project and the second phase, which will begin this spring.

The 625-kilowatt rooftop system is the first step in a total 2.46-megawatt system that will produce more than 3 million kilowatt hours annually. This system, combined with a lighting retrofit and a 1.83-megawatt ground-mounted solar system, will eliminate GIANT’s dependency on the electric grid.

To further encourage solar generation, the Wolf administration has taken steps to expand solar in Pennsylvania by providing grants and loans for solar panel installation and signing new legislation to enhance the solar market in the Commonwealth.

Gov. Tom Wolf signed Executive Order 2019-1 on January 8, 2019, which sets greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals for the Commonwealth of 26 percent by 2025 from 2005 levels, and 80 percent by 2050 from 2005 levels. Expanding building-scale solar energy generation is an important action for reducing GHG emissions, increasing grid resiliency, and for adapting to climate change.

DEP has released “Pennsylvania’s Solar Future Plan,” detailing ways that Pennsylvania residents and businesses can achieve a 10-percent increase in installed solar power by 2030. The plan includes 15 strategies to expand solar energy development, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create up to 100,000 jobs.

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