SOLAR IS COMING TO A ROOFTOP NEAR YOU

Solar energy is about to get more economical for families and businesses in 
the
southeast region of Pennsylvania.

In a brand-new program that will debut later this summer, consumers in the 
PECO
Energy service territory will be able to apply for financial support to 
purchase
and install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.

The key elements of the new program are:
~grants of up to $8,000 for solar PV systems sized between 1 and 5 kW;
~consumer loans to help residential consumers pay for PV, solar water heating
systems or energy efficiency
improvements;
~financial incentives to encourage housing developers to include PV in their
housing projects; and
~loans and other financial incentives to help commercial and industrial
customers install PV.

This is terrific news for any homeowner or business that is interested in 
using
clean power but can't afford the still relatively high cost of solar. The
program was developed by the Sustainable Development Fund (SDF), which was
created by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission as part of the 
transition
to electric competition. The SDF's mission is to promote renewable energy,
energy conservation and sustainable energy businesses.

The SDF recently issued a Request for Proposals to select a PV program
administrator who will be responsible for managing the PV grant program. If 
you
are interested in the PV program, or in submitting a proposal to serve as
program administrator, visit their website at www.trfund.com/sdf. Also be sure
to contact SDF by email at sdf@trfund.com so that you can be put on a contact
list and given updated information about the PV program.

For more information about solar power in the Philadelphia area, check the
Philadelphia Million Solar Roofs Program website: www.phillysolar.org.

REPRESENTATIVE VITALI SPOTLIGHTS GLOBAL WARMING IN PENNSYLVANIA

On May 24th, Representative Greg Vitali hosted a hearing on greenhouse gas
emissions and global warming in Pennsylvania which was attended by 
environmental
advocates, concerned citizens and industry representatives. The hearing,
sponsored by the House Democratic Policy Committee, focused on Vitali's 
recently
introduced House Resolution 200, which requests the Department of 
Environmental
Protection to investigate the causes and effects of global warming in
Pennsylvania and to develop a strategy for reducing the state's greenhouse gas
emissions.

John Dernbach, Environmental Law Professor at Widener University, Dr. Tom
Delworth of the Geophysical Dynamics Laboratory at Princeton University, John
Hanger, President and CEO of PennFuture, and the Reverend Joy Kaufmann, 
Director
of Public Advocacy for the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, all testified as 
to
the need for a statewide strategy to attack global warming.

Pennsylvania currently emits a whopping 1 percent of the world's greenhouse 
gas
emissions. These emissions are contributing worldwide to rising temperatures 
and
seas, loss of crops and species, and increased disease and starvation. Several
regional assessments predict that Pennsylvania's average summer temperature 
will
rise between 3 to 10 degrees by the year 2100. Biodiversity will diminish,
including the loss of maple, beech and birch forests, and cold water fishes 
such
as trout. There will be increases in vector-borne diseases, and more frequent
extreme weather such as storms and droughts.

There is great news, however! As several of the testifiers pointed out,
Pennsylvania is in a unique position to significantly reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by using energy efficiently and developing renewable energy 
resources.
After all, a single household switching to renewable energy can reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equal to planting 950 trees or not 
driving
20,000 miles. In fact, the four bills recently introduced by the Renewable
Energy Caucus (HB 1076, 1077, 1078 and 1079) provide incentives for building
renewable energy supply, encouraging the use of personal power and energy
efficiency and building greener, more efficient buildings. Testifiers 
repeatedly
stressed that passing this package of bills along with House Resolution 200 
will
be a critical step in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

Help ensure that Pennsylvania takes a leadership role on global warming! Ask
your representative to support House Resolution 200 and the Renewable Energy
Bills. To see a copy of the Resolution or the Bills, visit the House of
Representatives Bill Room at
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/billroom.htm.

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY PROVIDES INSPIRING LEADERSHIP WITH HUGE WIND 
PURCHASE

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is making the nation's largest single retail
purchase of wind energy. CMU will buy 5 percent of its total electricity next
year from new wind power generated in western Pennsylvania. The purchase of
wind-generated electricity, equivalent to the energy required by nearly 650
homes per year, is part of Carnegie Mellon's commitment to cleaner energy and
the environment.

CMU is using their research and education programs as well as their own campus
practices to improve environmental quality, while also supporting the
development of wind power generation in Western Pennsylvania. Carnegie 
Mellon's
wind energy will be generated by the Exelon-Community Energy Wind Farm at Mill
Run, under construction in Springfield and Stewart Townships in Fayette 
County,
about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The Carnegie Mellon wind energy 
purchase
of 4,778 megawatt-hours will require more than an entire dedicated turbine to
meet the demand.

CMU's decision to buy locally generated wind energy makes a contribution both
locally and globally. With the current attention on an impending energy 
crisis,
it is both satisfying and responsible to use energy that generates no 
pollution
and uses no fuel. The university's actions show that doing right by the
environment is also a good business decision. Their vision is one that can and
should be copied by educational institutions, government, businesses and
individuals throughout the Commonwealth.

By moving from local coal-fired power plant production to wind power, CMU's
purchase will eliminate the equivalent of 13 tons of nitrogen oxides per 
year, a
precursor of ozone smog; 35 tons of sulfur dioxide, which leads to acid rain;
5,100 tons of carbon dioxide, the primary contributor to global warming; and
0.18 pounds of mercury, a pollutant that is toxic to humans and the 
environment.
The reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is equivalent to planting nearly
19,000 acres of trees or taking more than 1,000 cars off the road.

PECO CUSTOMERS WILL SOON SEE HOME-GROWN WIND ENERGY ADDED TO THEIR MENU

PECO customers will soon have the option to buy home-grown wind energy as a
result of an exciting new business venture between PECO Energy Company and
Community Energy, Inc. (CEI) - a local renewable energy marketing company. 
PECO
will buy the output of the Somerset Wind Farm and Mill Run Wind Farm, which 
will
be built in western Pennsylvania, and the new Waymart Wind Farm which is 
planned
for Scranton, PA. This purchase agreement will make PECO the largest wind
marketer east of the Mississippi, and gives consumers a chance to support
regional development of new renewable energy supply.

Homes and businesses will be able to buy the wind energy in "blocks" based on
kilowatt-hours, allowing them to ensure that a certain amount of their power
comes from the new Pennsylvania wind farms. Customers will be able determine 
how
much extra they want to spend each month - depending on how many blocks they
buy - providing a flexible new way to support renewable energy. An additional
five dollars would represent about a third of a typical residential customer's
monthly usage.

PECO and CEI will soon be pre-subscribing these wind blocks to interested
customers in advance of these new wind farms' anticipated energy production
later this year. For more information about how you can buy a wind block, call
Community Energy at 610-254-9783.

GETTING TO 10% CONFERENCE HELPS SET THE AGENDA FOR GROWING PENNSYLVANIA'S 
GREEN
POWER MARKET

Hundreds of developers, marketers, green power advocates and interested 
citizens
from all over the country recently flocked to Harrisburg to discuss how
Pennsylvania will get 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the
year 2010.

Described by attendees as "inspiring" and "timely," the conference kicked off
with Ray Anderson, Chairman and CEO of Interface, sharing his vision for
conducting business in the new millennium, where profits and environmental
protection are not only compatible but mutually dependent.

Workshops were standing room only as leaders in renewable energy brought each
other up to date on recent developments in the industry, and pinpointed key
opportunities for future success. Perhaps just as important as the sessions 
was
the networking, as colleagues congregated at every opportunity to catch up and
share information.

Thanks again to all of the speakers, attendees and volunteers for working with
us to make this terrific event productive and exciting. We hope that this 
event
helped galvanize our collective talent to continue pushing Pennsylvania to the
10 percent goal and beyond.

GREEN POWER CALENDAR

Wind Power 2001
Date: June 3 - 7, 2001
Time: programs run throughout each day
Location: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington, DC
Contact: For more information, please visit the AWEA website at
http://www.awea.org/conference/index.html#WINDPOWER%202001%20Overview
Description: Every five years, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) 
hosts
its annual meeting in Washington, DC, in order to give wind industry members 
the
opportunity to educate federal lawmakers about the reality of wind-generated
electricity and to lobby for legislation that will encourage the growth of the
industry. This year, instead of three full days of sessions, AWEA sets aside 
two
afternoons for visits to Capitol Hill and adds one additional day.

Out of Breath 5K
Date: Sunday, June 10, 2001
Time: 7:30 am registration, 8:45 am race start
Location: Wehr's Dam, Covered Bridge Park, South White Hall Township
Cost: $15 on race day
Contact: Ari Mittleman (610) 432-7571
Description: Come and join in the fun and race for cleaner air! The Parkland
High School Grassroots Environmental Organization is organizing this event, 
and
all proceeds benefit the Harrisburg Coalition Against the Incinerator.

Sixth National Green Power Marketing Conference
Date: July 30 - August 1, 2001
Location: Portland, Oregon
Contact: For more details, visit www.eren.doe.gov/greenpower/conference
Description: The purpose of the National Green Power Marketing Conference is 
to
review the status of green power marketing in both competitive and regulated
markets and to explore strategies to increase the development of renewable
energy resources through customer choice. Conference organizers include the US
DOE, US EPA, EPRI, and Edison Electric Institute.


The Green Power: Turn It On! program is sponsored by PennFuture, a non-profit,
public interest environmental group with offices in Philadelphia, Harrisburg,
and Pittsburgh. PennFuture encourages everyone to buy renewable electricity, 
but
does not endorse any supplier. If you have information related to green power 
to
include in the next Green Power: Turn It On! Update, please call Brenna 
Herpmann
in the Philadelphia office at 215-569-9692, or email her at
Herpmann@pennfuture.org

We hope you found our Green Power Update informative. However, if you prefer 
not
to receive the Update, or to receive it without the attachment, simply reply 
to
this message and type "no Update" or "no attachment" in the subject line.

 - gpupdate_60601.ZIP