Photo: FirstEnergy
A 5.5-megawatt (MW) solar farm recently came online in Rivesville, West Virginia, on a brownfield site next to a shuttered coal-fired power station.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison, subsidiaries of FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE), completed their second solar farm in West Virginia 10 months after bringing their first online solar farm, the 18.9 solar farm -MW Fort Martin Power Station in Maidsville, January. (Fort Martin is still a working coal plant, and FirstEnergy sadly has no plans to retire it anytime soon.)
The new Rivesville solar farm sits on nearly 27 acres of coal ash landfill property owned by FirstEnergy along Morgan Ridge Road. FirstEnergy says the site has not been used since the Rivesville Power Station closed in 2012.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison hired 63 local union workers for construction at the site, and the solar panels, grain system steel, and electrical support equipment were made in the US. About 14,000 solar panels now provide clean electricity to nearly 1,000 homes.
The two utilities began construction last month on their third project, Marlowe, a 5.75-MW solar farm on a former landfill in Berkeley County. They have five solar farms on the way.
The West Virginia Legislature passed legislation in 2020 authorizing electric utilities to own and operate up to 200 MW of solar development on brownfield sites to help meet the state's electricity needs. Adding renewables to the grid also spurs economic development in West Virginia, as a growing number of companies require a portion of their electricity purchases to be made from renewable sources.
The companies say they will seek final approval from the Public Service Commission of West Virginia to build solar sites in Davis, Tucker County (11.5 MW), and Weirton, Hancock County (8.4 MW) where they have 85% renewable customer commitments. electricity credits generated by those projects.
Combined, the five projects will create more than 87,000 solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) available for purchase by West Virginia's renewable energy customers. SRECs are certificates that represent the environmental characteristics of solar energy and certify that solar energy is produced on behalf of consumers. For every megawatt hour of renewable solar electricity produced, one SREC is generated.
Dan Rossero, vice president of FirstEnergy's West Virginia Generation, said, “Our solar projects create construction jobs and support economic growth by helping West Virginia hire and retain employers. We are excited to reach another milestone in our solar system and are excited about the interest we continue to receive from subscribers.”
Mon Power serves about 395,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties, while Potomac Edison serves about 285,000 customers in seven counties in Maryland and 155,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, West Virginia ranks 48th among states for its cumulative solar installation capacity. It is expected to rise to 42nd place in the next five years.
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