Tag: Wind energy

Appalachian Power Seeks OK for 2 Wind Generation Projects

Appalachian Power is seeking approval for two wind generation projects.

The utility says in a news release that it has asked regulators to approve its requests to acquire projects currently under development by Invenergy LLC.

The statement says the 175-megawatt Hardin Wind Facility will be located in Hardin County, Ohio, and the 50-megawatt Beech Ridge II Wind Facility will be in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

The approval requests were made with regulators in Virginia and West Virginia.

Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The company currently has 375 megawatts of wind generation and an additional 120 megawatts coming on line in 2018 from the Bluff Point Wind Farm in Indiana.

Appalachian Power to Purchase Wind Power From Indiana Farm

  Appalachian Power says it’s adding more wind power to its energy portfolio.

The company said Thursday that it has reached a 20-year deal to purchase 120 megawatts of new wind generation from a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC.

Appalachian Power says the energy will come from a wind farm in Indiana that will be owned and operated by NextEra.

The new agreement will bring Appalachian Power’s total wind generation to 495 megawatts. The company says it expect the new power to be available to company by 2018.

The company serves 1 million residents and businesses in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee.

Shepherd to Offer Wind Energy Internship

Shepherd University is teaming up with a wind farm in Greenbrier County to teach students about renewable energies through an internship program.

Shepherd University held a symposium on renewable energy Friday as part of the inauguration of the school’s 16th president, Dr. Mary Hendrix. The symposium featured three speakers Hendrix referred to as “all-star experts” in energy.

Michael Polsky was one of those speakers. Polsky is the founder of Invenergy based out of Chicago, which started commercial operations in West Virginia in November 2015.

Polsky announced that Invenergy’s Beech Ridge Energy Storage Project in Rupert in Greenbrier County will partner with Shepherd University to hire a student each summer to learn about the real-world applications of renewable energy, such as:

“Biological conservation, potentially some others, you know, data collection; things like that,” Polsky explained, “and they will see firsthand, you know, how this project operates and what does it take to operate and maintain them, and hopefully they will tell other people, and there’ll be more interest.”

Polsky says universities shape young minds, so it’s important for them to stay ahead of the curve.

“Institutions like Shepherd University have to be on the forefront of change, of innovation, of really, to provide direction to young people in their career, you know, their future careers, where sort of the world is going, and I feel that energy is one of the really transformational areas we’re witnessing now.”

The internship is an eight week program.

Some Species of Bats May Better Absorb Losses from Wind Turbines

West Virginia among the states where scientists are analyzing the genetics of bats killed by wind turbines. Scientists say some species may be better able to absorb losses than others.

David Nelson of the University of Maryland’s Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg said Thursday the study could help refine the siting of wind-power projects.

Researchers looked at two bat species found dead in roughly equal numbers beneath turbines in Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. DNA analysis showed that the eastern red bat had a much larger breeding population than hoary bats.

Nelson says the study suggests that red bats may be better able to absorb wind-turbine deaths than hoary bats. Although neither species is considered endangered or threatened, Nelson says the findings suggest a need for greater concern about the rate at which hoary bats are being killed.

Appalachian Power Looks to Bring Solar, Wind into Energy Mix

Appalachian Power is looking to diversify its energy profile by moving toward a greater reliance on solar and wind energy.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the company will continue to rely on coal-fired power plants to supply most of the energy for its West Virginia customers. But the Appalachian Power said in documents recently filed with the state’s Public Service Commission that it also plans to increase its renewable energy capacity by more than 9 percent by 2025.

First Energy subsidiaries, Mon Power and Potomac Edison, say they’ll continue to provide their nearly 400,000 customers with electricity primarily from coal-fired power plants. First Energy’s resource plan show that the company is also considering purchasing another existing coal-fired power plant to meet its capacity shortfall.

Appalachian Power Plans to Expand Wind Power

Appalachian Power plans to add up to 150 megawatts of wind power to its renewable energy portfolio. 

In a regulatory filing, the company says it plans to issue a request for proposals from bidders in February 2016. The company will seek proposals to purchase wind power assets or to buy electricity generated by wind power projects.

Appalachian Power asked the West Virginia Public Service Commission on Friday to approve its request for proposals.

The PSC’s approval is required under a December 2014 deal that transferred 50 percent of the company’s interest in a coal-fired power plant to Wheeling Power Company. Under that deal, the PSC required the companies to issue a request for proposals when they seek energy and capacity exceeding 100 megawatts.

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