If approved, this would make PECO the first PA utility to purchase and bank solar credits.

Philadelphia-based PECO, an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, is seeking approval to purchase six megawatts of solar renewable energy credits.

The utility filed a plan with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) recently.

The AEPS legislation requires that 3.5% of the energy used by PECO customers is generated from renewable resources such as wind and solar by 2011. These requirements are measured by renewable energy credits. Renewable energy credits are sold by electric generators on a one-to-one basis each time they produce one megawatt-hour of renewable energy. To fulfill these requirements, the company seeks PUC approval to conduct a request for proposals to purchase 80,000 solar energy credits during 10 years.

According to PECO, under the AEPS Act, load-serving entities are required to acquire eight percent of Pennsylvania's electricity from Tier I energy sources and this includes solar-thermal energy.