The 1.7-megawatt system will cover eight rooftops and 11 acresof the campus. PPL will own and operate the system, purchasingrenewable energy credits through its energy marketing affiliate,PPL EnergyPlus, and supplying energy to Schering-Plough. "The greatthing about these projects is that they help companies offset theirenergy costs because the solar provides energy during peak times,when energy is most expensive," a PPL spokesperson explains toGlobeSt.com. Scheduled to be operational by the end of the year,the panels will supply approximately 12% of the company's peakenergy needs.

PPL has pledged to invest at least $100 million in renewableenergy projects and has already embarked on several of them withNew Jersey towns and businesses. The company developed and operatesthe Pennsauken Renewable Energy Park in Pennsauken, which featuresboth a solar and a biogas plant that converts methane from alandfill into fuel to generate electricity. PPL also installedsolar panels on two Macy's stores in Jersey City and MaysLanding.

Schering-Plough, the pharmaceutical giant known for its allergydrug Claritin, among other things, has publicly committed to reduceits greenhouse gas emissions by 5% by 2012. According to PPL, thesolar panel system will reduce Schering-Plough's emissions by about1.3-million pounds a year.