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Pennsylvania Nationally Recognized for Excellence in Sustainable Electronics Purchasing For Second Consecutive Year

For the second consecutive year, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been nationally recognized with the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or EPEAT, Purchaser Award for its commitment to preserving the environment through the purchase of nearly 67,400 units of sustainable electronics. Pennsylvania made more than $79 million in EPEAT-qualified purchases in the Computers & Displays and Digital Imaging categories in the Fiscal Year 2019-2020. The commonwealth was one of only eight states recognized with the 2021 EPEAT Purchaser Award.

During the 2019-2020 fiscal year, the commonwealth purchased nearly 67,400 eligible products that met either a "Gold", "Silver" or "Bronze" status in accordance with EPEAT criteria – a nearly 27,400 product increase from the year before. The criteria consider materials selection, design for product longevity, reuse and recycling, energy conservation, end-of-life management, and corporate performance. In total 43 percent of the commonwealth's Computers & Displays, Digital Imaging Equipment and Mobile Phones achieved an EPEAT Gold status rating, 56 percent Silver and 1 percent Bronze.

The energy savings of nearly $1.34 million associated with the green electronics purchases is enough electricity to power approximately 2,582 US households for a year, while the carbon footprint reduction is equivalent to annually removing approximately 1,423 passenger cars from the road. The amount of solid waste eliminated from the environment is the equivalent of the annual waste generation of 347 households.

EPEAT is a resource administered by the Green Electronics Council where organizations can find or promote electronic products that meet certain environmental performance criteria. The Green Electronics Council maintains the EPEAT website and product registry and recognizes organizations for their purchases of EPEAT-registered products.

Gov. Wolf Announces Largest Government Solar Energy Commitment in the U.S.

50 Percent of State Government Electricity Will Come from Largest Government Solar Commitment in U.S. to Date

Governor Tom Wolf announced Monday, March 22, 2021, a major clean energy initiative that will produce nearly 50 percent of state government's electricity through seven new solar energy arrays totaling 191-megawatts to be built around the state. Part of the governor's GreenGov initiative, Pennsylvania PULSE (Project to Utilize Light and Solar Energy) will go into operation on January 1, 2023. The project is the largest solar commitment by any government in the U.S. announced to date.  

"In issuing the GreenGov challenge, I charged state government with leading by example in demonstrating sustainable governance and lowering greenhouse gas emissions to reduce the risks of climate change in Pennsylvania," Governor Wolf said. "This included significantly reducing energy use and pursuing an ambitious goal of obtaining at least 40 percent of electricity from clean energy generated in state. I commend General Services for their GreenGov leadership in not only meeting this goal but exceeding it".

Solar arrays will be built in seven locations in six counties: Columbia, Juniata, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and York. When completed, the total 191-megawatt project is expected to deliver 361,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, supplying 100 percent of electricity for 434 accounts across 16 state agencies, or about half the electricity used by state government. The solar project will create 400-plus jobs and begin lowering carbon dioxide emissions statewide by 157,800 metric tons each year – the equivalent of the emissions from nearly 27,000 homes or taking 34,000 cars off the roads. 

General Services contracted with Constellation, a Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission-licensed electric generation supplier, to secure a 15-year fixed-price supply agreement. Serving as a technical advisor on the purchase, the Penn State Facilities Engineering Institute coordinated an innovative retail approach.

Visit Governor Wolf's newsroom online newsroom for more details. The Pennsylvania PULSE solar project brochure is also available online.