Stimulus cash to fund solar projects

Three public solar projects in Bucks and Chester Counties will receive state clean-energy grants financed by federal stimulus money, Gov. Rendell announced yesterday.

In Bucks County, Bensalem Township will receive $450,000 to partially fund a 104-kilowatt photovoltaic roofing system for the township building.

In Chester County, the Great Valley School District will receive $500,000 to help pay for a 131-kilowatt solar array on its middle school, and the Chester County Intermediate Unit will get $500,000 toward a 100-kilowatt photovoltaic system.

The projects were among a dozen awarded $5.3 million by the state's Energy Harvest Program, funded by federal stimulus money.

The grants match more than $11.6 million in private investments, and will save more than $1.7 million in energy costs annually, according to the Department of Environmental Protection. - Andrew Maykuth