Solar installation will provide 12 percent of peak energy needs for the health care company’s Summit, N.J., facilities

PPL Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), on Wednesday (4/29) unveiled a 1.7-megawatt solar energy system for Schering-Plough Corporation in Summit, N.J.

Located on seven rooftops on Schering-Plough’s campus, the project will provide about 12 percent of the consumer health care company’s peak energy needs.

“Solar energy technology will help Schering-Plough reduce its operating costs by using a clean, reliable and renewable power source,” said Steve Gabrielle, director of PPL Renewable Energy. “Because the project also helps the company reduce its use of power sources that emit greenhouse gas, it is beneficial for Schering-Plough’s bottom line as well as for the environment.”

Rooftop or ground-mounted solar panels can significantly reduce energy bills by generating electricity during the daytime or “peak” hours when power prices are highest and the facility consumes the most energy.

The project uses more than 22,000 solar panels provided by First Solar of Tempe, Ariz., and began operation earlier this month.

PPL Renewable Energy owns and operates the solar facility and provides the clean power that is generated to Schering-Plough.

In addition to generating power, the project creates a Solar Renewable Energy Certificate, a tradable certificate that represents all the clean energy benefits of the electricity generated from a solar electric system. PPL EnergyPlus, PPL’s trading and marketing subsidiary, purchases the certificate generated by this project as part of a coordinated effort to increase development of renewable energy projects.

PPL Renewable Energy continues to explore partnership opportunities to develop and build additional renewable energy projects in New Jersey and throughout the 13-state power market managed by PJM Interconnection. PPL already has developed 5.5 megawatts of solar energy projects and 7 megawatts of landfill gas recovery projects in New Jersey. In addition, PPL EnergyPlus purchases 5.5 megawatts of renewable energy from New Jersey-based solar projects.
 
Since 2002, PPL has been developing, building and operating renewable energy facilities including solar, wind and landfill gas-to-energy plants throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Overall, the company’s renewable energy projects now in operation total about 40 megawatts throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. PPL EnergyPlus purchases an additional 66 megawatts of renewable energy in the PJM control area

PPL Corporation, headquartered in Allentown, Pa., owns or controls more than 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to about 4 million customers in Pennsylvania and the United Kingdom.

For more information on PPL Renewable Energy, go to www.pplrenewableenergy.com.