Plans are under way to convert part of the old abandoned Philadelphia Navy Yard into a solar panel farm. It is hoped that the solar panel farm will be able to power at least 200 Philadelphian homes. The companies building the solar panel farm is Germany's Euperon LLC and Exelon Corp. The project is expected to cost a mere $11 million. In related news, Citizen's Bank Park (home of Philly's love-em-or-hate-em baseball team) has announced their plans to convert entirely to green energy. The Phillies probably were serious – they were wearing green hats instead of their usual red.
Will They Actually Do It?
Although Philadelphians concerned about the environment aren't holding their collective breaths over the Navy yard solar panel farm, there is some sign that this promise might be fulfilled (besides the press conference and the baseball caps):
In March, in nearby Bucks County, the same companies broke ground to construct another solar panel plant, being billed as "the fourth largest solar power plant in America." (That's the Philly area for you. We're not the biggest or the best, but tend to straggle into the top ten somehow.)
The Navy Yard is a huge complex of open areas of land that has been caught in various tugs of war over what to do with it since it was shut down in 1996. Arguments have lasted so long that last year a pair of bald eagles moved in, making development in that area pretty much moot. However, the bald eagles have not made any bids for the land designated for the solar power farm.
Running Uphill
Although former Philadelphia Mayor and now Pennsylvania state governor Ed Rendell (Democrat) has been pushing hard for the entire state to go green, the state legislature does not agree. So, Governor Rendell is pushing for Philly to go green to show the rest of the state that it can be done. Philly and Bucks County are sadly not going to get much state help for these bold new projects. That is because the Pennsylvania state legislature's unofficial motto is "Screw Philly". They won’t even pay to ban puppy mills, let alone set up green shop.
Considering that there has been such animosity between Philadelphia and the rest of the state, it is not surprising that these greening projects will not get any state funding (or very little of it). However, Philly is used to having to get things done by itself, such as taking matters like gun laws into their own hands, so there is a very good chance that these two green energy projects will succeed.
Being able to rub the noses of the Pennsylvania state legislature into the dirt is a very powerful motivation for Philadelphia. It is sad, in a way, that we have to play these games in order to get anything done, but in this case, it looks like the environment might benefit from the local people's animosity.
