$250K Grant Will Help Lower Merion Library Go Solar

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — Lower Merion Township is getting a sizable grant to help make one of its libraries run on solar power.

In late May, the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners named Lower Merion Township an awardee of Montco 2040 Implementation Grant funding.

Lower Merion Township was awarded the maximum quantity of $250,000 for the Ludington Library Solar Installation Project.

The project aims to help Lower Merion Township lead by example and meet its goal of transitioning township facilities and operations from fossil fuel to clean energy sources by 2035.

The project will result in the installation of a photovoltaic solar array on the lower roof of the library, as well as two ground-mounted photovoltaic solar canopies over portions of the library parking lot.

The green roof located on the upper roof of the library will remain intact.

The roughly 152.9 kilowatt photovoltaic system is expected to produce about 195,000 kilowatt-hours of energy.

The system would generate on-site renewable energy for nearly 50 percent of the library's electricity use, reducing the township’s building energy-related greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 7.3 percent.

This project is critical to meet the goals laid out in Lower Merion’s Sustainability Plan, as it will enable the Township to reduce reliance on fossil fuel energy, stabilize operating costs amidst rising energy prices, increase climate resilience, improve air quality and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with Township operations.

This project will be the Township’s second solar project, the first being a 156.2 kW (184,000 kilowatt-hours) system at Penn Wynne Library that is expected to be completed in Fall 2024.

The Montco 2040 Implementation Grant Program is intended to assist municipalities in making targeted physical improvements that achieve real progress toward the goals of the county’s comprehensive plan, Montco 2040: A Shared Vision.