May 28, 2024 | Community Involvement
With the snip of a ribbon, the Da Vinci Science Center at PPL Pavilion is ready to open the doors to its 67,000-square-foot facility.
The Da Vinci Center had been housed at Cedar Crest College for the last 18-plus years, offering engaging learning opportunities through a series of exhibits. The new location in downtown Allentown offers twice the space, and twice the fun.
“I have been waiting for the moment when I can see kids, families and teachers interacting with the experience,” said Lin Erickson, Executive Director and CEO of the Da Vinci Science Center. “We’ve been working really hard to raise money and design exhibits, and it’s all about the impact and how the community engages with the experiences.”
A walk through the two-story center is a scientific adventure. There are numerous exhibits designed to teach visitors about topics that are relevant to our everyday lives – health, biology and the environment, to name a few – including one of our own.
Situated along the back wall on the first floor, our exhibit features an interactive lesson in how solar energy can power a home. Using light from the ceiling, visitors control a series of mirrors to reflect light on to a number of solar panels. Each panel powers a different room or appliance within the home, simulating how sunlight can charge our lives. Walking along the back wall, children and adults alike can read about the power of electricity, and some of the careers at PPL Electric Utilities that help keep the lights on every day.
“It’s been really fun working with local companies like PPL and tapping into their expertise to develop these exhibits,” Erickson said.
PPL has been a longtime partner with the science center, and we are thrilled to continue this relationship in a new space. We believe supporting a strong foundation in STEM education is critical to the success of today’s students and it helps create the highly skilled workforce of the future. We also believe this learning should be accessible to all.
“We want to encourage access to STEM programs for all students,” said Lissette Santana, senior manager of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability. “One of our requests was to make sure that this world-class science center was accessible to the community; we want people who live and work in the area to come and enjoy this space, regardless of income.”
After 18-plus years at its old location, the Da Vinci Science Center is excited for fun and education at PPL Pavilion for generations to come.
“Thanks to PPL’s and many others’ support, we’ve built a science center for our children and grandchildren,” Erickson said. “And it will be right here in the Lehigh Valley; that is so cool.”
May 16, 2024 | Energy Future
We believe in and are charging toward a cleaner energy future. This goal means meeting new demands for connecting renewable energy, electric vehicles and other distributed energy resources to the grid.
It also means supporting our communities that are making the same pledge.
This spring, we were excited to take part in separate events welcoming electric school buses to the Bethlehem Area and Steelton-Highspire school districts. These buses were the first electric buses to be rolled out in their districts, and they are among the first in all of Pennsylvania.
In total, eight buses, two in Bethlehem and six in Steelton-Highspire, are ready for duty. To ensure the project’s success, we met with the districts to review charger locations and power requirements, determined infrastructure upgrades (if any), and ensured available capacity for when the buses arrived. The charging stations have been installed at each of the districts’ bus depots, allowing for convenient charging.
A closer look at the new chargers installed in the Steelton-Highspire School District.
We have not been waiting for this growth; we have been preparing for moments like these. Thanks to our investments in building a strong, flexible and modern grid, we were able to help in these projects without making any reinforcements to the grid.
We expect electric buses and other electric vehicles (EVs) to become even more popular over the next several years, and we’re staying engaged with our customers to help them understand how we can provide the support they need. We’ve created a webpage, pplelectric.com/EV, to help them make informed decisions about electric vehicles.
We believe electric vehicles are a viable, cost-effective and environmentally conscious means of transportation. We applaud the Bethlehem Area and Steelton-Highspire school districts for showing leadership in electrification, and we’re proud to help support electrification in any way we can.
Apr 26, 2024 | Community Involvement
Being part of the communities we serve goes well beyond delivering safe, reliable electricity. Through PPL Foundation grants, we support local programs focused on environmental stewardship and education, economic development and/or workforce development.
The Lancaster Conservancy in southcentral Pennsylvania recently received a grant from the PPL Foundation. The Conservancy is using this funding to remove invasive plant species from two nature preserves of the 10,000 acres it has protected in its over-50-year history.
The Conservancy protects and tends to 50 preserves in Lancaster and York Counties. With 25 full-time employees, the Conservancy turns to hundreds of community volunteers every year who log thousands of hours of service.
“We couldn’t do this work without them,” said Vice President for Engagement and Education Keith Williams. “We have very few ecosystems that are not impacted by invasive plants. Because they’re not native to our land, they don’t have the typical population controls that keep their numbers in check.”
This, Williams says, leads to a lack of diversity in the ecosystem, which in turn impacts the plants and wildlife that depend on natural resources.
The grant from the PPL Foundation is helping the Conservancy pay for materials to remove invasive species within the Shenks Ferry and Kellys Run preserves. So far this year, our funding has aided in the removal of 3,600 gallons of garlic mustard, a prominent pest across the northeastern United States.
“We started this project three years ago,” Williams said of the garlic removal. “We compare this area to some that we haven’t gotten to yet, and the diversity of the native wildflowers is so much greater on these treated lands.”
Invasive species within the Conservancy include more than just garlic mustard. The team is planning to also remove larger intruders like multiflora rose, bush honeysuckle and autumn olive. With the help of passionate volunteer conservationists like Brad Gorter, the team hopes to preserve the land’s natural beauty and all that comes with it.
“The Conservancy was looking for volunteers and we realized that we could give back to the organization that provided such wonderful outdoor spaces for us to enjoy,” Gorter said.
“Performing this work isn’t just important, it’s vital to the long-term health and sustainability of the places we work and live.”
The Conservancy has expanded and flourished for 54 years, and it believes that these efforts can help it – and our natural lands and wildlife – thrive well into the future.
“Humans depend on the diversity we’re protecting,” Williams said. “Each organism within these 10,000 acres provides an ecosystem function, and we benefit from the services that are provided. These native species deserve to be here as much as we do, and the work that we’re doing ensures that these species will continue to thrive into future generations.”
Apr 11, 2024 | Storms and Outages
An incoming storm is expected to bring heavy rain and winds across our service territory beginning Thursday evening. The storm has potential to bring 40+ mph winds and up to 1.5 inches of rainfall. The rain is expected to taper off on Friday, but high winds are forecast through Saturday evening.
Our storm response includes:
- Activating storm teams with additional personnel working in the field, control centers and customer service across our territory.
- 16-hour shifts staggered for around-the-clock coverage.
- Bringing in more than 600 lineworkers from outside our company to assist in restoration efforts should they be needed.
As we continue to monitor the forecast and prepare for the storm, we’re offering the following tips and reminders to help customers prepare and stay safe.
Stay Connected:
- Report power outages online at pplelectric.com or text “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775).
- Follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram for restoration updates.
- Check the status of an outage as well as estimated restoration times online at pplelectric.com/outage.
- Sign up for alerts to stay connected and receive outage updates at pplelectric.com/alerts.
Get Prepared:
- Make sure mobile devices are fully charged before a storm event.
- Have an emergency kit with food, water, medication and any pet supplies needed.
- People who have medical conditions requiring electricity should create a plan in case of an outage or emergency.
- Check on elderly family members, neighbors and others who may need assistance during an outage period.
Stay Safe:
- Should you encounter a downed wire at any time, assume it’s energized and stay away. Report downed wires to us or local emergency response agencies.
- If using a portable generator during a power outage, never operate the generator in an enclosed area, like a garage, where deadly carbon monoxide fumes could accumulate.
- Remember that candles can start fires. Always use flashlights instead.
- If you lose power, turn off any appliances that were on when the power went off.
- For your safety and ours, please keep a safe distance from our crews.
We will continue to update this page as more information becomes available.
