On Monday night, I joined State College Borough Council to give an update on the Centre County Solar Working Group’s power purchase agreement. I gave a spicier update to the State College Area School District later that night. For most people, the Borough presentation was a boring affair about final document signatures, a PJM queue … More Hallelujah! The solar PPA moves on!
Over my ten years in municipal and school government, higher education, and non-profit leadership, I have witnessed children and families advocate for each other and our community. As I share in an op-ed piece today at StateCollege.com, they are “wise and trustworthy. We should listen. They have urged the municipal board in Ferguson township that … More Our families are wise and caring. Trump is attacking them.
I want the lessons of the Centre County solar power purchase agreement (SPPA) working group (WG) to be as accessible as possible. As readers know, 10 of central Pennsylvania’s local governments are finalizing the largest-by-member SPPA in the Commonwealth and maybe the country. This entry is my first deliberate crack at it. Here, I will use the World … More Early lessons from the Centre County solar power purchase agreement
State and local governments will persist in climate action. That’s the conclusion of a recent piece in Grist. We have virtual certainty the incoming Trump administration will withdraw from the Paris Agreement, leading to widespread worry about other nations’ commitments to reduce emissions and achieve the 1.5° or 2° C temperature goals. But there are lots of … More State and local governments will persist in climate action because it works.
In the last week, we’ve had more wins for the power purchase agreement. Last Tuesday, the Centre County Commissioners voted 3-0 to enter. On Monday, the State College Borough voted 6-1 to join. Tonight, Last night, Patton Township’s Board voted 5-0. They join the State College Area School District and Harris Township. All told, there are about … More Some lessons from the PPA: Openness. Honesty. Skepticism. Trust. Consistency.
Tomorrow night, the State College Area School District will be the first of Centre County’s local governments to vote on whether we enter into a 15-year solar power purchase agreement (SPPA). As the project’s instigator, a member of the working group over its five years, and its first and last Chair, I am excited to … More A major step for solar power in Pennsylvania’s local governments
My community is ground zero in the fight for America’s future. We affectionately call our home “Happy Valley.” It surrounds Penn State University (where I work). A blue dot in the middle of red counties, we believe in the promise of a democratic republic rooted in freedom, individual dignity, environmental integrity, innovation, and equal opportunity. … More We fight for freedom. The Christo-fascists want to steal it.
Today, Spotlight PA ran an excellent story on how “local governments can struggle to work together in Pennsylvania even when they have a common and seemingly mundane goal like saving money on electric bills.” I’ve written about this project here pretty extensively. In the next month, ten local governments will vote to adopt affordable, carbon-free, Pennsylvania-supplied … More An inspiration — or a cautionary tale? Definitely an inspiration.
As readers know from recent posts, I have been working on an intergovernmental solar power purchase agreement (PPA). It is close to the finish line. Our citizens and taxpayers will be able to celebrate how a coalition of committed public servants assembled a triple win on fiscal responsibility, voter and youth demands for action on … More The real, but hidden, social benefits of a solar power purchase agreement.
In Centre County, Pennsylvania, 12 local governments have come together to explore a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a solar developer in response to public demand for climate action. The PPA aims to generate 29,000,000 kilowatt hours of carbon-free electricity annually, providing financial stability through long-term low electricity rates and creating Pennsylvania jobs. The project is now in its final stages, with local boards and solicitors set to review and vote on it. This initiative signifies democracy in action and a commitment to a more just and sustainable future. … More Solar aggregation, cooperation, democracy, & action on climate change
Peter Walks for Democracy 