Germantown 2026: Solar on Every Scale While PECO Rates Keep Rising

PHILADELPHIA, February 25, 2026 — On the same day PECO reported a 47.7% surge in net profits — following a year of double-digit rate hikes for residential customers — Germantown was already running on solar. Not just on its rooftops. On its houses of worship too.

Forty-six homes across Germantown have gone solar with Solar States, generating an estimated 311,000 kilowatt-hours of clean electricity each year — and more than 1 in 5 of those projects came through a neighbor. The average system size — 6.22 kilowatts — is among the highest of any neighborhood in our Philadelphia footprint. On the 5900 block of Pulaski Avenue, three homes have solar. On the 6300 block of Wissahickon Avenue and the 600 block of W Kingsley Street, neighbors followed neighbors. Germantown talks.

But the residential story is only part of it. In 2023, the Germantown Jewish Centre partnered with Solar States to install a 117-panel array on its Education Building — a living example of Tikkun Olam, the Jewish call to repair the world. Backed by its Green Team and member fundraising, the array now produces 67,000 kilowatt-hours annually, cuts Education Building electricity use by 50%, and saves roughly $8,000 per year — savings that grow as PECO rates rise. In 2024, the Pennsylvania Solar Center honored GJC with the Lodestar Award for leadership in renewable energy. “We don’t always see it working up there every day,” said Eric Wrod, “but it’s making a difference for the future of our shared world.” Second Baptist Church made the same call — panels on the roof, values on the outside.

PECO rates have climbed steadily and show no signs of slowing. Surging demand and the broader electrification of homes and vehicles has triggered significant increases in PJM capacity auction costs — a regional grid charge on every Philadelphia electric bill. Layer on aging infrastructure and…well, everybody should decide for themselves what rates will continue to do. You can guess what we expect.

Solar States clients across Germantown got off that escalator. Homeowners and houses of worship alike.

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Today, Solar States offers two ways to do the same. Purchase a system and own your energy outright — no utility, no escalating rate, no surprises. Or lease at a fixed monthly rate that, in many cases, never goes up. Your PECO bill doesn’t have to keep climbing just because PECO wants it to.

Solar States, the 2022 Top Solar Changemaker, is a Philadelphia-based Certified B Corporation founded in 2008 with a dual-mission to install solar and educate the next generation of solar installers. We have completed more than 2,000 installations across the region (PA, NJ, DE), saving clients over $15 million in utility costs. Over 500 students graduated from our workforce development program, Find Your Power. Solar States has been featured in The Inquirer, The Philadelphia Citizen, WHYY, GreenPHL, and 6ABC Action News.