Unless you run your home on a full-time generator, you have electric bills.
Electricity keeps the lights on, the tv and appliances running, the water pump, furnace, and maybe an air conditioner going in summer.
There’s only so much you can conserve.
Even if you shop for lower electric rates at papowerswitch.com, you’ve noticed that the cost per-kilowatt hour has been climbing-- 10 to 20 percent just since June this year.
More increases are almost guaranteed.
A big part of the reason is supply, even though plenty of large suppliers of cheaper electricity are literally waiting in line to get into the Pennsylvania market.
So what’s the holdup? It’s called PJM — the electrical-grid manager that oversees the flow of power in Pennsylvania and 12 other states.
Buying your own solar setup could be a solution. But maybe you rent. Or live in a community that doesn’t allow solar. Or have too much shade. Or can’t swing the still-fairly-high cost of private solar.
Community solar could be an answer. Never heard of it? Here’s how it works.
A solar company builds a local solar facility to generate electricity. The project is large enough to supply hundreds-- or even thousands-- of homes, but still small enough to connect to the local energy grid without going through PJM.
The electricity the project generates feeds into the local grid. Customers in the area can either subscribe and pay a monthly fee for electricity or buy an ownership share in the power generated over the life of the solar array.
Either way, credits for the electricity are automatically reflected on your monthly bill.
Solar projects like these are up and running in more than 40 states. Why not in Pennsylvania?
It’s complicated. But with bipartisan support, a bill to authorize community energy passed the Pennsylvania House in May this year.
Support is building in the state Senate, too.
Why not call your State Senator’s office and say you support the Community Energy bill?
Even if you’re not interested in solar, the competition created by community solar would help keep electric costs down.
For more information--
-- PPL’s “price to compare” in June 2024 was just over 10 cents a kilowatt hour. Today it’s 12.49 cents.
-- PJM is the bottleneck. Who is PJM and why should you care? Click Here to find out.
Visit Brodhead’s Protecting Clean Water Together webpage for more articles.
The Brodhead Watershed Association protects water quality and quantity throughout our area. Get involved! Become a member!
We support community solar because we support pure abundant water for local residents and businesses.. And every way of creating electricity uses alarming amounts of water-- except wind and solar.
Related Article:
-- Water At Risk: What Is Your Township's Plan For A.I. Data Centers? Sept. 15 Hearing In Tobyhanna Twp., Monroe County - By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association [PaEN]
Resource Link - Community Solar:
[Posted: September 1, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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