Pennsylvania Was Once a National Leader in Renewable Energy. What Happened?

Second in a series about rising electricity prices in Pennsylvania. Read the first story here .

PHILADELPHIA—In the steep hills above the Schuylkill River, across the street from a famous cheesesteak place and at the end of a quiet block, sits a typical Philadelphia rowhouse: narrow brick, front porch, fig trees growing in the yard. From the sidewalk, there’s nothing to distinguish this house from its neighbors. But there’s a tiny clue that something is a little different: a sticker on the electric meter with a Solarize Philly logo.

The owner, Liz Robinson, is the current executive director at the Philadelphia Solar Energy Association, a volunteer-based nonprofit that works to increase solar adoption in Pennsylvania. She’s been involved in renewable energy policy in the city and on the s