Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley veterinarian Dr. Betsy Kennon shows an area where solar panels will be installed in the dog run area at the New Kensington facility. Panels will be installed on the rooftop of the newer addition as well. (Louis B. Ruediger | TribLive)
Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley will be catching some sun rays pretty soon.
The rescue is getting solar panels installed on its roof and in its backyard — a move that Dr. Betsy Kennon, a veterinarian and president of the rescue’s board, expects will save about $500,000 over the next two decades.
Last August, Kennon came across a California-based nonprofit, RE-volv, which helps other nonprofits go solar.
She was drawn to make the switch to renewables both for the cost-savings and the environmental benefits, she said.
“If we can do it, it shows that anybody can do it,” Kennon said.
Once up and running, she said, they will produce about 95% of the rescue’s electric needs. The rescue took out a 20-year loan for the upfront costs, she said.
“We raise all our own funds,” Kennon said. “Our electric bills have been well over $5,000 a month. … It couldn’t have come at a better time.
Anyone in the community can be part of the project by “adopting” a solar panel for $500, Kennon said.
The money from panel “adoptions” will help offset initial costs. Those who donate will get a plaque put on their panel.
Kennon said about a dozen people have already “adopted” panels, and those interested can reach out to the rescue through the information on its website or stop into its location on Church Street in New Kensington.
At first, monthly costs won’t change much.
The rescue will have monthly payments of $5,000 on the loan at first, but once the panels are up and running, they qualify for a 30% federal tax credit, Kennon said.
The tax credit she’s referring to were rolled back last year in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which required commercial solar projects to begin spending before July 4, 2026, to remain eligible for the credit during construction.
The rescue’s project started coming together in June of this year after clearing permitting from West Penn Power, Kennon said.
“We snuck in under the wire,” she said. “So, that’s going to take the costs way down.”
Installation is starting in the next few weeks, she said.
She expects that by the sixth year, savings will be realized.
The savings will be especially helpful since the rescue doesn’t receive state or federal funding, Kennon said.
Bills are so high, in part, because the rescue has to keep its heating or cooling on at comfortable levels for the animals, she said.
The panels, themselves, aren’t dangerous to have around animals, she said, noting that some farmers have solar panels that cattle graze under.
“It’s not a problem having animals around them,” she said.
The installation is a way to reinvest money into everyday operations, said Danielle Baughman, the rescue’s administrator.
“Any money we can save is money (put) back into the animals,” Baughman said.
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