Community Energy Solar, LLC and Exelon Generation have closed a 15-year agreement for the purchase of power and renewable energy credits from a 6 megawatt solar project that Community Energy is building in Lancaster County, PA. The agreement will support the construction of the largest solar energy facility in the state, consisting of approximately 25,000 solar panels installed on approximately 30 acres.

“This announcement brings critical momentum to solar development in Pennsylvania, much as our partnership with Exelon launched wind power here a decade ago,” said R. Brent Alderfer, president of Community Energy. “The value of this long-term power purchase agreement with a utility of Exelon’s stature can’t be overstated in bringing commercial finance to solar projects in the state,” he said. “This is the first step in proving up the larger market for utility-scale solar in Pennsylvania. We look forward to this project and others like it as the solar market expands in the region.”

"We’re pleased to be leading the solar market in Pennsylvania and we look
forward to our partnership with Community Energy Solar in producing more solar generation over the next decade,” said Kenneth W. Cornew, senior vice president of Exelon Corporation and President of Exelon Power Team. “This agreement allows us to provide new clean energy to the market, which is a key goal of our business strategy, Exelon 2020: a Low Carbon Roadmap.”

The project will be located along Lancaster Pike south of the city of Lancaster, PA, a corridor which has also received commercial development proposals. Community Energy Solar worked closely with the Lancaster County farming community and East Drumore Township officials to design the solar project to support both clean energy production and agricultural land restoration, including selected cover vegetation, minimal use of concrete and decommissioning at the end of the 25 - 30 year project life.

The project will create approximately 75 jobs during the six-month construction period and is expected to generate approximately 7.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year.