By Sam Spatter

Published: Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The first solar-powered Goodwill store in Pennsylvania will open Jan. 25 at 9 a.m. in Robinson Township.

It will be Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania's 30th store in this region, completing the expansion program that added six new stores in the past two years. The new store is located across from Costco, at 3 Urbano Way, next to GFS Marketplace.

The store's power will be generated by a photovoltaic system, which is already fully operational. It is installed on the store's roof and comprises 216 modules that capture energy from the sun to supply nearly half of the store's electric power needs, which significantly reduces Goodwill's utility costs.

The system was designed and installed by Scalo Solar Solutions LLC, a Pittsburgh-based solar developer founded in 2010 and headed by Jack Scalo, CEO/president of Scalo Solar Solutions and Burns & Scalo Roofing.

The opening leads to the closing of Goodwill's existing donation center off Route 60, near Robinson Town Centre.

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