Pennsylvania Solar Center

What it reported doing in 2024

Transform: by july 1, 2025, the organization increased the get solar technical assistance program staff from three to six full-time people. The queue of projects grew to nearly 400 interested entities seeking assistance, which include municipalities, schools, nonprofits, and businesses. To date, the pa solar center has facilitated the installation (or nearly completed installation) of 20 projects with a total of more than 9 mw of solar with most of that occurring during the grant period. The estimated savings during a 25-year period is more than 21 million (and after paying for capital and construction costs) for those organizations. Those projects leveraged an upfront investment of almost 16 million and are predicted to avoid a total of 9,193 metric tons of co2e over 25 years. The organization increased the number of qualified solar developers in its network to 50 companies that are available to make qualified bids, and increased partnerships with organizations across the state to expand outreach capabilities. The get solar team shepherded a unique bidding process on behalf of 12 municipalities and a water authority for 46 potential solar projects. The get solar swpa was started in spring 2025 to expand outreach to the 10-county region of western pa. This effort is supported by the following partners: southwestern pa commission, pa sustainable business network, sustainable pittsburgh, connect, riverwise, and swpa municipal project hub. Get solar westmoreland is now housed in the broader initiative that aims to attract entities into the get solar program across the region. In addition, the pa solar center entered into an agreement as a grant sub- awardee with the philadelphia energy authority to bring pa solar's get solar program to the five-county region of Pennsylvania to assist commercial entities to go solar through pea's solarize greater philadelphia initiative. Increased activity was spawned by the passage of the inflation reduction act in 2023, which increased incentives for solar energy as well as the center's outreach efforts and growing partnerships throughout the state. Pa solarcorps, the organization's volunteer initiative to map the solar potential of low-income communities, mapped a total of 1,048 properties in 68 communities in western pa. In westmoreland and allegheny, our team mapped low-income communities and mailed results of estimated solar potential directly to 281 properties in westmoreland county as well as 151 industrial properties in westmoreland and allegheny and 53 schools in Pennsylvania. In southeast pa, the pa solarcorps mapped the solar potential of 375 properties in 13 low-income communities in the four counties surrounding philadelphia

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 52%; rating input score 52
• Program expense ratio: 78.3%; rating input score 78
• Fundraising efficiency: $73.46 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Fail
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 34.9%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.31; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 14.1%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 51.6% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 23.1% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 20.8% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings