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Johnson & Johnson/Merck in Greenfield Corporate Center will construct a $3.3 million system with the help of an $876,000 state grant.
The photovoltaic system, which will cover about half of the building's 117,500-square-foot roof, is expected to generate 620 kilowatts of electricity.
That output is roughly the amount of power used by 500 homes, although this power will be used by the plant.
"That's a substantial commercial project," said Terry Kile, chairman of the county Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy.
"It's nice that the state is supporting these kinds of projects to help us become more reliant on renewable energy," Kile added.
Mary Gattis, the county Planning Commission's senior environmental planner, noted that the project will offer "positive benefits for the community."
These include improved air quality, Gattis said, because the solar energy will replace electricity generated by burning fossil fuels.
The 1838 Colonial Village Lane project is the biggest of three local alternative-energy ventures funded by the Commonwealth Financing Authority.
Also getting the authority's backing are:
• Illuminex, which will use a $186,000 state grant to help pay for $373,000 in equipment to make silicon nanowires, which could be used in solar sails for spacecraft and other purposes.
• TCH Realty, which will use a $239,500 state grant to build a $2.4 million "green" office building for Cargas Systems at the Lancaster Stockyards.
The Johnson & Johnson/Merck plant makes consumer pharmaceutical products.
These include heartburn relievers Mylanta and Pepcid, and Imodium, which treats diarrhea and the symptoms of gas.
A Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman declined to disclose when the solar panels could be installed or how much they could cut the East Lampeter Township plant's electrical consumption.
She provided a statement saying Johnson & Johnson has "high standards" of environmental responsibility and has been reducing its waste, water and energy use, raw materials and packaging since 1990.
Illuminex, based in Burle Business Park on New Holland Avenue, is a research and development firm that's creating silicon nanowires that could produce solar energy for space, military and consumer uses.
Cargas Systems, now in Granite Run Corporate Center, plans to lease an 11,500-square-foot building to be built at the stockyards by developer TCH Realty, led by Tim Harrison.
The building is expected to include solar panels, large south-facing windows, passive solar heat via Trombe walls, high-efficiency lighting and other "green" features.
The three local projects are among 36 alternative-energy projects across Pennsylvania that received $23 million in authority funding this week, the state said in its Thursday announcement.
