A local company issued a timely announcement during Philadelphia Solar Week, August 17-23. It will be installing a solar array atop a daycare center — meeting nearly 100% of the building’s energy needs. Residents can take part in the celebration by engaging with Solarize Philly’s virtual programming.

To kick off solar week, The Philadelphia Energy Authority, Greenworks Lending, and the Capers Company LLC announced they are placing solar panels on Germantown Daycare Center, reducing the building’s carbon footprint by 6,900 metric tons of CO2e emissions.

The project was made possible by C-PACE financing, which opens up a world of possibilities for renewable energy markets in Philadelphia. It uses borrowed capital to pay for the upfront costs associated with renewable energy improvements and energy efficiency, allowing investors to repay over time with a voluntary tax assessment. This model encourages businesses unwilling to invest in expensive, traditionally financed renewable energy projects to make changes that will have meaningful, long-term financial and environmental benefits.

The chosen location for the project has a symbolic meaning as well. William Capers, Principal of the Capers Company, noted that their goal is to leave a better world behind for the children that the Germantown Daycare Center team cares for.

“We feel it is most suitable and fitting that this project benefits a building that caters to the care of children, supporting them now and with the goal of leaving a better earth for them,” he shared.

How to Get Involved in Solar Week

There are still opportunities for Philadelphia residents, homeowners, and their children to finish off the week with solar-themed programming. Sessions include:

• Virtual Solar Home Tour, August 20, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Join PEA, Solar States, and homeowners who have gone solar for a Virtual Solar Home Tour. Click here to register.
• Doing Solar Business in Philadelphia: Interconnection and Permitting Best Practices, August 21, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• Solar Week Keynote and Bright Solar Futures Graduation, August 21, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• Bright Solar Futures: Career Panel, August 21, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Join PEA virtually as they celebrate their newest cohorts who have completed the Bright Solar Futures Program.

Visit the Philadelphia Solar Week website for more information about the events.

You can also check out Green Philly’s articles about the demand for solar energy and the steps we need to be taking to encourage solar energy implementation to learn what you can do right now.

Solarize Philly Competitions

1. Solarize Philly Art Competition

Want your kids to learn about the importance of solar energy? Encourage them to participate in an art competition!

Creators between ages 5-8 are asked to use materials around their home to create a drawing or collage showing the benefits of solar energy.

Designers aged 9-13 should create artwork to show how solar energy can impact our future.

Resolvers aged 14-18 make artwork to propose a solar solution to an existing problem in their community.

Prizes are awarded for winning entries, and art must be submitted by August 24. Click here for more details.

2. Solarize Philly Story Competition

Solarize Philly is asking community members to submit a video answering one or more of the following questions:

• Why did you go solar?
• Why did you go solar with Solarize Philly?
• How was the intake and installation process?
• What would you say to a neighbor who is on the fence about going solar?

Videos should be between 1 and 3 minutes in length, oriented in landscape, and submitted in mp4 format. You are also encouraged to include footage of yourself, family members, and visuals of your solar array. Click here for details on how to submit your video.

Prizes are awarded for winning entries, and the submission deadline is August 24.

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Avery is a junior at Bryn Mawr College majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in English. She is currently an Editorial Intern at Green Philly. In her free time, you can find her curled up with an iced coffee, a book, and her adorable dog Cosmo. View all posts by Avery Matteo