As one of the Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities, Pittsburgh has the goal of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to 20% below 2003 levels by 2023. Pennsylvania had not previously been a hub for solar, but in recent years both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have really stepped up their efforts in a way that many other cities would do well to follow. The City created the Pittsburgh Solar Initiative as well as a new Office of Sustainability and Energy Efficiency after being designated a Solar America City.

This is a huge measure of progress as the city can look back to a time not so far in the past where it was the steel capital and was run totally on coal and gas, making it not a very pleasant or sustainable place to live. Now city agencies are realizing the potential and the necessity of going green in Pittsburgh. In May, the Pittsburgh Public Works building completed a solar electric installation that will help the city save around $6,000 per year from electric bills. Solar is also in the works for a condo complex in the residential part of Pittsburgh, with help from state funding directed towards solar projects. The system will be a 25 kW rooftop solar electric installation which will increase the sustainability of the already green-minded condo complex that includes an underground parking garage with 21 electric car hook-ups.

With a new office that has recently opened in Broomall, PA, groSolar is set to help Pittsburgh and all of Pennsylvania take the steps they need to go solar, with both smaller residential and larger commercial projects. And potentially an even larger solar farm project is in the works for Pittsburgh as well. Mayor Ravenstahl has a vision for transforming a field in Glen Hazel into a solar farm that would help local residents get more affordable, cleaner, sustainable, and local energy. Those who could get this new source or power would quickly see the benefits as the cost would stay stable even when utility costs fluctuate.