Venango County Tea Party Patriots

A non-partisan, non-profit, non-member, association dedicated to educating the public and promoting the principles of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free market economics, and all other lawful activities.

solar energy

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Pennsylvania’s Solyndra?

A Pittsburgh-area solar energy company that received more than $10 million as part of the federal stimulus is asking a federal judge to allow it to file bankruptcy.

Ten former employees at the Flabeg Solar U.S. Corp plant have petitioned a federal judge for severance pay after they lost their jobs last month as the plant was shut down.  Media reports indicate that as many as 60 workers were laid off at the 4-year old, 228,000 square foot facility near Pittsburgh.

The 10 employees listed in the filing are seeking $197,000 in severance pay, according to court documents.

Robert Lampl, the Pittsburgh-based attorney for the energy company, was not immediately available for comment, and a receptionist at his office said the bankruptcy filings were not yet available because they had not been officially submitted to the court.

Lampl told other media outlets on Thursday that the company was going to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in response to the lawsuit over the severance pay.

Calls to the plant on Thursday were not immediately returned.

The plant was owned by an American subsidiary of a German glass-making firm.  The plant in Pittsburgh was manufacturing glass mirrors used by solar energy companies that do not employ the more common photo-voltaic technology.

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Energy Department to Fund Integration of Solar with Fossil Fuel Plants

The Department of Energy has announced $20 million dollars to fund two to four projects combining solar power with existing fossil fuel plants. The hybrid power plants will use “concentrating solar power” to help generate electricity and reduce harmful air emissions. Concentrating solar power uses mirrors to focus the sun’s rays on a collector, which turns the heat into steam, powering turbines. The DOE hopes the projects will spur new innovation in solar hybrid power plants, and make the technology more affordable.

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Lancaster County Solar Farm

What’s believed to be the state’s largest solar farm is slated to open as early as October in Lancaster County.

The Community Solar Energy project in East Drumore Township covers about 30 acres and is expected to transmit about six megawatts of power, which would be enough for about 950 homes.

Founder and CEO Brent Alderfer says he sees great potential for solar energy in the commonwealth.

“We’re one of the first developers, along with several others, to bring some of the first wind projects to Pennsylvania. We did it in a very similar way, finding forward-looking customers, who were willing to step up and say, ‘This makes a difference. This builds a new industry, builds a new form of energy, and we’re willing to help kick it off.'”

The new solar plant has about 20,000, three-by-five foot panels rooted by metal stakes which can be uprooted, so the property can be restored to farmland, if necessary.

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