Private, public sectors launch renewable energy projects here, and Lancaster countians get a hands-on energy education center at Manheim.
Lancaster New Era
Jun 23, 2009 11:15 EST
MANHEIM
By AD CRABLE, Staff Writer

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On the outskirts of Manheim — in a former car dealer showroom, ironically enough — Lancaster County residents now can see, touch and learn about solar panels, wind turbines and geothermal energy that can heat and cool homes.

And, in a related venture, the new Lancaster County Center of Excellence in Renewable Energy seeks to get the public and private sectors to partner to embrace alternative energy and retrofit buildings to conserve energy.

Together, the two new efforts prompted state Labor and Industry Secretary Sandi Vito to declare at a dedication ceremony in Manheim Monday: "As usual, Lancaster County is on the cutting edge of the green jobs environment."

About 100 people attended the dedication of the Worley & Obetz/Amerigreen Renewable Energy Center at 55 Doe Run Road in Penn Township.

The company spent about $100,000 turning about 4,000 square feet on the ground floor of the building into a public energy-education center and a showroom of its new line of alternative energy products.

An awning on the facade is a series of solar panels that produce electricity sold to PPL.

Inside, there are manned demonstrations of solar, wind, biofuels, geothermal and propane systems, all available for purchase under Worley & Obetz's Amerigreen brand.

One room is set aside as an alternative energy learning center for school groups. It is also hoped groups, community leaders and business heads will brainstorm at the facility as Lancaster County moves toward a more energy-efficient economy.

The energy center is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Seth Obetz, vice chairman of Worley & Obetz, said he felt there was a pressing need for a place where residents can learn more about technologies they are urged to embrace but that can be bewildering to comprehend.

Obetz acknowledged that people may well wonder why a company that has thrived for generations on selling fossil-fuel gasoline and home heating oil is now urging its customers to find new ways of powering their homes and vehicles.

Obetz said alternative energies are necessary for national security and a sustainable future.

He quoted John F. Kennedy: "If not us, who? If now now, when?"

Obetz is the principal backer of a proposed ethanol-fuel distillery in Conoy Township. Manheim-based Worley & Obetz also recently declared it would sell only gas and heating oil drilled and refined in North America.

The event also served as the official opening of the Lancaster County Center of Excellence in Renewable Energy, though the group has been active for months.

Project partners include The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lancaster County Planning Commission, Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board, Lancaster County Cooperative Extension service and a host of companies and conservation groups.

A primary mission of the group is to keep business owners and farmers involved in rapid changes in the energy marketplace and to serve as an agent for getting funding for area energy projects.

Education is seen as a key.

In one of the group's first projects, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and the Workforce Investment Board have offered a new curriculum to train students to be able to retrofit buildings for energy conservation.

Terry Kile, vice president of sales for Horst Construction and chairman of the new group, predicted the partnership will help Lancaster County businesses stay competitive in a changing economy.

"We hope to bring companies here to make us a regional leader in renewable energy," Kile said.

State Sen. Michael Brubaker praised Seth Obetz for taking a strong leadership role in breaking the cycle of fossil fuels, "leading to the knowledge that alternative energy is our future.

"We live in a world of pessimism and fear and a lot of it," Brubaker said. "I heard hope and optimism today."

County Commissioner Craig Lehman said the two new efforts will help farmers and manufacturers diversify and bolster their chance of success.


Staff writer Ad Crable can be reached at acrable@LNPnews.com or 481-6029.