Pennsylvania's largest solar energy plant to be built in

Nesquehoning

HARRISBURG, Aug. 7 – State Rep. Keith McCall, D-Carbon, was joined by officials from Kovatch Enterprises and Green Energy Capital Partners to announce that a site adjacent to the Green Acres Industrial Park in Nesquehoning will be home to a 10.6 megawatt ground-mounted solar-energy-generating plant – the largest solar plant in Pennsylvania and one of the largest in the nation.

"Carbon County has always been the center of America's energy generation and innovation – from the anthracite coal that still heats our homes and fuels many of our existing power plants to this new solar farm that will generate clean, green energy while creating jobs and helping to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources," McCall said. "I want to commend Kovatch Enterprises and Green Energy Capital Partners for their outstanding work in making Carbon County a leader in the nation when it comes to green energy.

Even though fuel prices have dropped a bit recently, we must continue to explore every reasonable outlet to generate energy right here at home, from solar plants like this one to windmills to clean coal to geothermal and nuclear. I'll do everything I can in Harrisburg to support projects like the solar farm to make sure we all have a cleaner, greener, more affordable energy future."

"This project will be the first of what I hope will be many such projects in our area, as this is clearly the wave of the future in terms of power generation," Kovatch Enterprises CEO John J. Kovatch Jr. said. "Once it's up and running, the Pennsylvania Solar Farm will be one hundred percent pollution-free and help to reduce our country's appetite for foreign oil."

"Our renewable energy projects are in large part a product of public sentiment to find practical alternatives to fossil fuels and reduce our dependence on foreign oil – for environmental, economic and political reasons," GECP founder and CEO John Curtis said. "We fully understand that our role and responsibility is not limited solely to commercial interests, but also includes giving back to our communities in the form of green jobs and sustainable, renewable energy education. That's why this solar farm will be built with state-of-the-art command-and-control centers designed for training and education to help everyone understand the critical role of renewable energy in our future."

The Pennsylvania solar park will generate enough electricity to power 1,450 homes and eliminate more than 320,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over 30 years of operation – the equivalent of planting more than 25,000 acres of trees. Green Energy Capital Partners plans additional solar facilities in the Commonwealth, but the Nesquehoning plant will be one of the biggest in North America. To find out more about renewable energy visit GECP online at www.greenenergyfinder.com. To find out more about McCall's other efforts to promote alternative energy in the state, go to www.pahouse.com/mccall.