The solar array installed at Corl Street Elementary School generates roughly 15% of the building’s total power.
Nabil K. Mark/SCASD
One result from the 2026-27 PA state budget that was passed on July 12: the “Solar for Schools” program has been renewed. It provides significant funding to school districts to install solar panels. The renewal added $25 million into the pool of funds available. So far, 45 Pennsylvania school districts have taken advantage of this program.
Data center oversight
Data centers in Pennsylvania will now have to report their exact water and power usage to the state. That provision was also included in the 2026-27 state budget bill. And PJM, the electric grid serving the commonwealth, is now required to give state regulators more insight into its energy demand forecasting.
Data center watch
As of early August, there were no data centers being proposed for Centre County, according to the Data Center Proposal Tracker website. Three neighboring counties — Clearfield, Mifflin and Union — have one data center each under consideration. Thirty-three of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties are proposed sites for data centers with Lackawanna County leading in numbers with 15 being planned there.
Wind farm operational
A 114-megawatt wind farm in Cambria County began operations in July. Nineteen wind turbines have been placed on former coal-mining land and will generate enough electricity to power 32,000 households. It’s a $300-million project owned by Competitive Power Ventures. It’s located alongside Rock Run Recreation Area, an ATV park offering 140 miles of trails.
Floods and opioid deaths
There may be a link between flooding in Appalachia and opioid deaths. That’s what work by Penn State researchers suggests. Their study found that “overdose deaths significantly increased in the one to two years following a severe flood and persist up to 10 years after.” Possible reasons: “decreased access to treatment, recovery and harm reduction services; increased trauma and instability; and persistent stigma around seeking help for opioid use.” The study was published July 20 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Rest stops for butterflies
A coalition of environmental groups hopes to create 250 monarch butterfly waystations in Cambria, Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties. These are plots of land that “must include milkweed, as it is the caterpillars’ only source of food,” according to a story reported by The Allegheny Front. Monarchs need more places to breed, eat and rest as they migrate between Mexico and Pennsylvania. Their numbers have dropped by 80% since the 1990s due to habitat loss.
A solar milestone
From Canary Media: “While the Trump administration is busy pointing out that the sun doesn’t shine at night, solar is breaking records around the world, including in sunny California. Solar panels produced 51% of California’s electricity in May, the first time the clean energy source surpassed the halfway mark for an entire month. This isn’t just a milestone moment for California; it’s a milestone for the entire world. Think tank Ember says the state is the globe’s first major economy to cross the 50% threshold.”
PSU students take first place
Congratulations to the Penn State Wind Energy Club which took first place in May in the Eastern Region Collegiate Wind Competition. The event featured teams of undergraduates from nine universities building and testing small wind turbines, developing plans for a large-scale wind project, and conducting outreach to the wind industry and local communities.
Richard W. Jones is a volunteer with the State College chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Reach the chapter at PaStateCollege@citizensclimatelobby.org.