As new panels come online, the future of solar power in Pittsburgh looks bright

May 1, 2026
Pittsburgh City Paper

Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, industry leaders, and a sun mascot were on hand for the ceremonial flipping of the switch at the Energy Innovation Center in the Hill District, where a new five-array solar power system could offset some 21% of the facility’s electricity use.

The system is expected to produce 350,000 kilowatt-hours annually and save around $50,000 per year over 25 years. Pennsylvania Solar Center founder and executive director Sharon Pillar said the project was timely given rising utility bills, increased demand, and global fluctuations in the price of energy.

“For every single panel that goes up, it helps to bring down the cost of electricity for everyone, not just those who have solar on their roofs,” Pillar told attendees. “Solar reduces that need for more expensive and dirtier power plants, and that helps all of us.”

The EIC arrays were installed as part of a collaborative effort that also saw the center’s aging roof restored. Pittsburgh Gateways initiated the project with a loan from Bridgeway Capital and consultation from the Solar Center, with local company Scalo Solar installing panels on the EIC’s sawtooth roof and the top of the former Connelly Trade School classroom building.

O’Connor hailed the project as a “huge win” and said the city stood in full support of increasing the region’s solar capacity, noting that another large array on a slag heap in Swisshelm Park would soon come online. In a release prior to the ceremony, he said the Solar Center had a further 82 projects underway in the region — enough “to power PNC Park for almost 4,500 games.”

Statistics show Pennsylvanians warming to solar as inflation remains stubborn and the cost of electricity rises. The state doubled its capacity from one to two gigawatts between 2023 and 2025. The commonwealth has tax incentives in place for consumers and companies, and the state’s solar future plan calls for increasing the percentage of electricity generated by solar in Pennsylvania to 10% of total power by 2030.

Locally, Scalo Solar COO Mark Heckathorne said his company had installed 2,500 megawatts of solar in the Pittsburgh area. Heckathorne gestured to projections showing the EIC’s new panels offsetting over 70 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions even as clouds hung low over Pittsburgh amid chilly temperatures.

“We have a lot of cloudy days, right?” Heckthorne said. “But as long as the sun comes up, solar is going to create energy.”

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