Tag: Solar

Mon Power Building 2nd Solar Facility In State In Marion County

Jim Myers, president of Mon Power parent FirstEnergy’s West Virginia operations, said the property is a former coal ash disposal site.

Mon Power has started construction on its second solar facility in the state.

The company will build a 5.5 megawatt solar farm on 27 acres in Marion County near a coal-burning power plant that closed in 2012.

Jim Myers, president of Mon Power parent FirstEnergy’s West Virginia operations, said the property is a former coal ash disposal site.

“We believe the energy generated by our West Virginia solar sites will continue to encourage economic development in the state because a growing number of companies require a portion of the electricity they purchase to be generated by renewable sources,” he said.

In January, Mon Power activated its first solar facility in West Virginia in Monongalia County. It generates 19 megawatts on about 80 acres near two active coal plants.

The Marion County site, and another in Berkeley County, are expected to start operating by the end of the year.

Mon Power and Potomac Edison are seeking Public Service Commission approval to begin construction on two more solar facilities, one in Tucker County and one in Hancock County.

Together, the solar sites represent a small but growing renewable energy sector in the state.

Lawmakers Enable Bigger Solar Projects, Eliminate Sunset Provision

House Bill 5528 updates that law to allow for 100 megawatt projects and eliminates the sunset clause.

A prior state law capped the size of renewable power projects at 50 megawatts and included a provision to sunset the program next year.

House Bill 5528 updates that law to allow for 100 megawatt projects and eliminates the sunset clause.

Sen. Glenn Jeffries, R-Putnam, explained that the bill helps attract more businesses that want to come to the state if they can receive solar power.

“And there’s a number of companies here in West Virginia and other companies that have interest in West Virginia that would like to have solar as part of their business model,” Jeffries said.

Nucor, the steelmaker that’s building a new plant in Mason County, is one such example. By the time it begins production, it will receive at least 20 percent of its power from solar.

The House of Delegates approved the bill last month, 61 to 36. The Senate approved it Thursday, 32 to 1. It now goes to the governor.

The largest solar installation in the state was activated in January in Monongalia County. Mon Power’s Fort Martin solar generates 19 megawatts.

Mon Power expects to complete two more solar sites this year and seek approval from state regulators for two more to be constructed next year.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission has approved a siting certificate for a Kansas company to build a solar farm in Mason County.

Mon Power, Consumer Groups Settle Solar Net Metering Case

The sides settled on a compromise of roughly 9 cents a kilowatt hour. The new credit takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

Mon Power has settled a case with consumer groups that will affect households that have rooftop solar panels.

Existing customers receive a retail rate of 11 to 13 cents per kilowatt hour for the power their solar panels send back to the grid, a process known as net energy metering.

Mon Power and Potomac Edison proposed to cut that credit in half to 6.6 cents per kilowatt hour, the wholesale price.

The sides settled on a compromise of roughly 9 cents a kilowatt hour. The new credit takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025. Existing customers will still receive the higher credit for 25 years.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) must still approve the settlement.

A bill moving through the House of Delegates would protect the higher net metering credit.

The parties to the settlement include the PSC, the West Virginia Consumer Advocate Division, Citizen Action Group, Solar United Neighbors, Energy Efficient West Virginia and Solar Holler.

“While we continue to believe that the retail rate is fairest for residential solar customers to receive as a credit, we think that this is a fair settlement in the context of this case,” said Leah Barbour, state director for Solar United Neighbors. “There are some important protections for current customers and clear guidelines to ensure solar will continue to work going forward.”

Mon Power serves 395,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties. Potomac Edison serves 155,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle.

The Road To A Second Chance On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, a criminal record can follow a person forever – and keep them from job and housing opportunities. More than a quarter of West Virginia adults have a criminal record, even for cases with no conviction or jail time. In the latest episode of Us & Them with host Trey Kay, we look at the road toward a second chance. In this excerpt, Kay talks with 37-year-old Amber Blankenship who hopes to expunge her record.

On this West Virginia Morning, a criminal record can follow a person forever – and keep them from job and housing opportunities. More than a quarter of West Virginia adults have a criminal record, even for cases with no conviction or jail time. In the latest episode of Us & Them with host Trey Kay, we look at the road toward a second chance. In this excerpt, Kay talks with 37-year-old Amber Blankenship who hopes to expunge her record.

Listen to the latest Us & Them episode “Expungement — Between Hope and Danger” on West Virginia Public Broadcasting Thursday, Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. or on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 3 p.m. Or listen to this episode now at wvpublic.org.

Also, in this show, new companies and new jobs are coming to West Virginia. And with those jobs comes the need for workforce development and new sources of energy. On our latest episode of The Legislature Today, Curtis Tate spoke with Bill Bissett, the president of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association, and Dan Conant, founder and CEO of Solar Holler, about these issues.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Settlement: Mon Power Rates Would Go Up By About $10 A Month

Under a proposed agreement submitted to the West Virginia Public Service Commission, average Mon Power residential electricity customers would see their bills go up $9.94 a month.

Mon Power customers would see their rates increase in March, but not by as much as proposed, if a settlement agreement is approved.

Under a proposed agreement submitted to the West Virginia Public Service Commission, average Mon Power residential electricity customers would see their bills go up $9.94 a month.

In total, that would give the company about $105 million in revenue – about half the $207 million it sought. Electric utilities recover their costs, in part, through rate increases.

The PSC held a public comment hearing on the base rate case on Monday, and will have an evidentiary hearing on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at the agency’s headquarters in Charleston.

One issue not settled by the agreement: How much customers with solar panels are credited for the electricity they produce. The parties to the case asked the PSC to rule on the matter.

Presentation: Renewables, Gas Poised To Dominate U.S. Power Grid

Curtis Wilkerson, founder and CEO of Orion Strategies, a public relations firm, said wind and solar are now the cheapest form of electricity.

What does the future hold for electricity generation? Renewables and gas will dominate the grid in the years to come, according to a presentation given to the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia.

Curtis Wilkerson, founder and CEO of Orion Strategies, a public relations firm, said wind and solar are now the cheapest form of electricity.

“One of the things that is a large misnomer is that people think that renewables are expensive. They’re now the cheapest form of electricity,” he said. “When you look at what’s called levelized cost of electricity – that means from construction through its natural lifespan – and wind and sun don’t cost anything.”

Wilkerson said the future power needs of the country will include growth in building electrification and electric vehicles, as well as data centers.

And what was considered baseload power in the past, namely coal and nuclear, will be overtaken by renewables and gas.

“Solar in particular, has fallen 90 percent in the last 10 years, the cost. And the next cheapest form of electricity, which is largely dispatchable, is natural gas,” he said. “Notice how much more expensive coal is and how much more expensive nuclear is. And that gives you why if the projections for the United States, energy supply or electricity supply will be renewables and natural gas for many years to come.”

Gas currently supplies about 40 percent of the country’s electricity. Big growth in renewables, especially solar, is expected over the next two years.

But as Wilkerson told the trade association, electricity demand will grow, and gas can capture some of the growth along with renewables.  

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