PPL Renewable Energy breaks ground on ‘colorful’ solar energy park

Company partners with Crayola to build 1.5-megawatt project

PPL Renewable Energy joined UGI Corp. and Crayola Thursday (11/19) to break ground on a 15-acre solar energy park at Crayola’s headquarters and manufacturing facility in Forks Township, Pa.

“We’re very excited about this project because it’s our first solar project in the Lehigh Valley and because we’re partnering with Crayola, a colorfully creative company well-known among kids of all ages,” said Rick Klingensmith, president of PPL Energy Services. “Having successfully developed solar energy projects throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New England, PPL Renewable Energy is looking forward to increasing the amount of green, renewable energy available in our community.”

From left, Mike Perry, chief executive officer of Crayola, Tip the Green Crayon, Rick Klingensmith, president of PPL Energy Services, and Brad Hall, president of UGI Corp., celebrate the groundbreaking of a 15-acre solar park at Crayola in Forks Township, Pa.

More than 26,000 fixed solar panels installed on Crayola’s property will generate 1.9 megawatts. The facility will provide 10 percent of Crayola’s total annual energy consumption and enough energy to produce 1 billion crayons a year (one-third of the total number of crayons made annually). Generating the same amount of electricity with fossil fuels would produce about 1,900 tons of greenhouse gases per year.

As part of the agreement, PPL and UGI will design, build and operate the park on 15 acres of Crayola’s property. Crayola will purchase the generated power. PPL and UGI will share the renewable energy credits, which represent the clean energy benefits of the electricity generated from solar panels. 

In August, the project was awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority through funds provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Construction on the project will begin this month and is expected to be completed in the summer.