Energy company PECO will add its largest solar project yet under pressure from state advocates.

In a new deal announced Monday, the utility company said it would procure a 25-megawatt solar plant — enough to power about 3,000 homes — to purchase energy. It is the largest such construction ever carried out by an electric utility in Pennsylvania, although there have been larger ones completed by private companies.

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PECO serves approximately 1.7 million customers in Pennsylvania. Until now, people who wanted to power their homes with renewable energy had to go through the utility’s Customer Choice program and buy from third-party services — which those with billing assistance can’t participate in . This agreement, however, is for the 75% of customers who receive service by default, which allows PECO to decide where to get electricity from.

It is also unique because PECO will pay not only for the energy but also for the capacity, an additional cost to ensure that the 25 megawatts will be available to PECO at all times.

Every four years, PECO had to submit its electricity purchasing plan to the Public Utility Commission. Its initial plan, before this deal, called for doubling its renewable energy credits, but did not add more solar to its mix. Currently, 0.5% of PECO’s energy comes from solar energy. This updated plan covers the period from June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2029.

A number of groups have weighed in on the plan, advocating for more clean energy, to achieve this outcome, including POWER Interfaith, Vote Solar, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Clean Air Council and PennEnvironment, among others. Part of their testimony indicated that if PECO had done more with renewable energy instead of just credits, it could have saved its customers between $67 million and $89 million between 2021 and 2025.

“The potentially deadly hurricanes that hit Florida and other southern states last month should make it clear that the companies that produce and supply our energy must do their part to prioritize and provide clean, renewable energy to their customers,” Flora Cardoni, deputy director of PennEnvironment, said in a statement. “We know that Pennsylvanians I want it, and our planet needs it. »