Mon Power and Potomac Edison—subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp—have finished their second utility-scale solar project in West Virginia, installing 14,000 solar panels that generate 5.5 MW of power at the Rivesville location in Marion County.
Rivesville Solar Project Generates 5.5 Megawatts of Clean Energy
The Rivesville site in Marion County now hosts nearly 14,000 solar panels, generating up to 5.5 megawatts of renewable energy to help meet the state's electricity demands. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, one megawatt of solar power can supply electricity to an average of 173 homes nationwide.
The new solar facility spans around 27 acres of company-owned land along Morgan Ridge Road. The site had remained unused since the decommissioning of the Rivesville Power Station in 2012. Mon Power and Potomac Edison employed 63 local union workers for the construction and the solar panels, steel racking system and electrical equipment used were all manufactured in the United States.
"Our solar projects create construction jobs and support economic growth by helping West Virginia recruit and retain employers. We are pleased to reach another important milestone in our solar program and are excited about the interest we continue to receive from subscribers," said Dan Rossero, Vice President of FirstEnergy's West Virginia Generation.
West Virginia Solar Program Boosts Renewable Energy Growth
The West Virginia solar program led by the companies aligns with a 2020 bill passed by the West Virginia Legislature which permits electric companies to own and operate up to 200 megawatts of solar generation facilities to help meet the state’s energy demands. The expansion of renewable energy generation also promotes economic development in the state, as more businesses are requiring a portion of the electricity they purchase to come from renewable sources.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison are working on five solar projects, collectively generating 50 megawatts of renewable energy. This marks the first phase of their goal to develop 200 megawatts over time. The companies completed their first solar project at Fort Martin Power Station (18.9 megawatts) in January and began construction on a third project in Berkeley County this fall.
Together, the five solar projects will generate over 87,000 solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) that customers in West Virginia can purchase to support renewable energy. SRECs are certificates representing the environmental benefits of solar power, demonstrating that solar energy was produced on behalf of the buyers. Each megawatt hour of solar renewable electricity generated results in the creation of one SREC.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison: Serving Customers in West Virginia & Maryland
Mon Power provides services to approximately 395,000 customers across 34 counties in West Virginia. Meanwhile, Potomac Edison serves around 285,000 customers in seven counties in Maryland and 155,000 customers in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle.
Since launching the solar program, Mon Power and Potomac Edison have enrolled both residential and large commercial customers including the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown and the town of Harpers Ferry. The cost of purchasing SRECs through the program is an additional 4 cents per kilowatt hour on top of the standard rates.
FirstEnergy is committed to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies make up one of the largest investor-owned electric systems in the nation, serving over six million customers across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. Additionally, the company's transmission subsidiaries manage approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines connecting the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.