This Week in Solar: Aaron Nichols interviews Belle Sherwood, Clean Energy Advocate at PennEnvironment, to discuss one of the biggest missed opportunities in the energy transition: the billions of square feet of empty warehouse rooftops across the country.
Sherwood explains why fewer than 5% of these sites are used for solar energy generation and how new legislation in Pennsylvania could change that.
She points out that there are 16.3 billion square feet of flat, unshaded warehouse roof space nationwide and explains that, while these sites are ideal for solar technology, significant hurdles such as upfront costs, outdated building standards, and a lack of awareness among developers have kept most of them empty.
In one of the episode’s most powerful moments, Belle tells the story of her recent tour of a Pennsylvania warehouse where 3,600 solar panels sit alongside an old coal smokestack. She shares how the facility now produces 1.3 megawatts of power (enough to cover 100% of its operations) and even generates over $1,000 in monthly revenue by sending excess energy back to the grid.
Throughout the conversation, Sherwood highlights the critical role of state-level policy, noting that 70 percent of locked-in carbon reductions come from state action rather than federal mandates.
She walks listeners through Pennsylvania’s “Solar-Ready Warehouse Bill” (House Bill 1260) and Senate Bill 983, explaining how these policies would require new warehouses to be built for solar and streamline the permitting process for existing ones.
For those looking to take action, Sherwood offers a clear roadmap for advocacy. She encourages Pennsylvanians to focus on “low-impact” solar (placing panels on existing structures rather than pristine farmland) and argues the industry can solve both energy and land-use conflicts simultaneously.
Finally, Sherwood shares her vision for Pennsylvania’s energy future, predicting a shift in which renewable energy becomes the default not just for its environmental benefits, but also because it is the cheapest and most reliable option for the grid.
Quotes From the Episode
“Warehouse rooftops solve a lot of the objections people have about solar. These roofs are already built and not being used for anything else.”
– Belle Sherwood
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