Did you know that our streetcars are powered by the sun?

The Swanson Solar Energy System involves the operation of a 280 KW inverter capacity (450,000 kWh annual production) photovoltaic solar energy system at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum (PTM).  This system uses solar energy as part of its efforts to adequately display its collection of vintage electric railway vehicles and operate some of them on our two-mile demonstration railway.  A photovoltaic array was first installed on the south-facing metal roof of our 28,000 square-foot Trolley Display Building in the summer and fall of 2009. In 2023, many more solar panels were added to this building and to the new Welcome & Education Center, bringing the number to over 800 photovoltaic panels.

The Swanson system will lower PTM’s electricity cost by almost $50,000 per year, allowing it to use those avoided costs for its public programming.  It also has creates a wonderful educational opportunity to teach school children and visitors the importance of solar energy in electricity generation.  We are “capturing the public’s imagination” by using modern solar photovoltaic technology to partially power early 20th century streetcars. This project has made the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum the first museum to showcase solar powered electric transit vehicles and helps to demonstrate its commitment to renewable energy applications.

PTM was founded in 1953 and its mission is to preserve and interpret Pennsylvania’s Trolley Era, which began in 1890.  That era continues today in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh where electric streetcars still take people to their destinations in an energy efficient and environmentally friendly manner.

An important part of the Trolley Era story is the growth of the electric power industry.  We feel that producing electricity from the sun is a natural progression of that story and this project helps us to demonstrate the importance of solar power to our visitors, including many school groups. PTM is fortunate to have a dedicated and talented group of 130-plus volunteers who contribute more than 25,000 hours annually.  For our solar system project, an electrical engineer, electricians, and many others are contributing their time to make this project a success.

Our system was generously funded by Dr. John & Janet Swanson. Dr. Swanson is the founder of ANSYS, Inc., a John Fritz Medal winner, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Visit our SolarEdge monitoring portal to not only see how much energy our system generates, but how it helps our planet!