A solar array is currently under construction at Miami-Cass REMC in Peru. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the array will be held on Sept. 14.
New energy sources will soon greet Midwesterners turning on their morning lights.
This fall, Wabash Valley Power Association (WVPA) will celebrate several ribbon cuttings for solar arrays constructed this year. The dedications will take place Sept. 14 in Peru, Indiana, at Miami-Cass REMC; Sept. 20 with Citizens Electric Corp. in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, and Sept. 27 at EnerStar Electric Cooperative in Paris, Illinois.
The new sites will join established solar arrays as part of Co-op Solar, a new community solar program available to retail members of participating WVPA cooperatives. The program will have the capacity to produce up to 1.7 megawatts (MW) of electricity. Any unsold shares of solar energy will go into Wabash Valley Power’s power supply.
“We are excited to partner with our member cooperatives to create Co-op Solar,” said Andrew Horstman, load response manager for Wabash Valley Power. “Community solar programs open up solar energy participation to people who may be interested but unable to install and maintain solar panels where they live.”
Wabash Valley Power also will be increasing energy attained from wind. On Oct. 10, WVPA will jointly dedicate, with Hoosier Energy and EDP Renewables, the renewable energy company’s fifth phase at Meadow Lake Wind Farm in White County, Indiana. The Meadow Lake Wind Farm flanks Interstate 65 in northwestern Indiana.
Wabash Valley Power will receive 25 MW from Meadow Lake V and 100 MW from Meadow Lake VI by 2019.
“Together, the electricity produced from these new solar and wind locations will add more diversity to our energy portfolio, which safeguards against rising prices for any particular fuel source,” Horstman said. “These new sites are great resources that will provide electricity to our members for decades to come.”
Wabash Valley Power supports renewable energy by owning landfill gas generation and purchasing the output from wind farms and biogas generators. Wabash Valley Power sells, separately, the environmental attributes associated with this generation to its members and third parties and, therefore, does not claim this generation as renewable within our own supply portfolio. To purchase renewable energy credits (RECs), contact your local co-op.
