The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Cumberland Forest Restricted Partnership are turning former Appalachian coal mines into clear vitality hubs. They simply introduced new agreements with Solar Tribe Growth and ENGIE to construct 14 photo voltaic farms and three battery storage programs throughout 360 acres in Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
This marks the second spherical of unpolluted vitality initiatives launched underneath TNC’s Cumberland Forest Venture.
These initiatives aren’t nearly clear vitality – they’re about proving that clear vitality could be developed on former Appalachian coal mines in a method that advantages the atmosphere and native communities. The photo voltaic and storage hubs are anticipated to herald extra native tax income, create short-term building jobs, and set up a neighborhood fund to assist further native initiatives.
Brad Kreps, TNC Clinch Valley director, mentioned, “Growing initiatives on former coal mines – and in a method that engages with folks within the native space in order that communities can profit – takes ingenuity, talent, and willpower. Finally, we chosen Solar Tribe and ENGIE, two skilled builders which have an awesome curiosity in bringing this imaginative and prescient to life.”
As soon as on-line, these initiatives will generate round 49 megawatts (MW) of photo voltaic vitality and 320 MW of battery storage – sufficient to energy 6,638 Appalachian properties yearly.
Solar Tribe’s initiatives can be in Virginia and Tennessee. It’s planning one 5 MW photo voltaic venture and three utility-scale battery storage programs starting from 80 MW to 150 MW. These storage initiatives will enhance grid reliability and assist lower prices for utility prospects by decreasing the necessity for future grid upgrades.
“Finding photo voltaic and battery storage on former mine lands makes excellent sense to us,” mentioned Danny Van Clief, CEO of Solar Tribe Growth. “These websites and the communities they relaxation inside have powered our nation for greater than a century – all now we have to do is reimagine them for at present’s vitality know-how.”
ENGIE, in the meantime, is growing 13 community-scale photo voltaic initiatives throughout Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky that can benefit from Inflation Discount Act incentives to assist maintain prices down. They’ll vary in dimension from 1 MW to six MW, bringing clear vitality entry to extra native communities.
“ENGIE is thrilled to collaborate on the event of those initiatives with The Nature Conservancy,” says Kristen Fornes, ENGIE head of distributed photo voltaic and storage. “These initiatives not solely contribute to the discount of greenhouse fuel emissions but additionally generate employment alternatives, rejuvenate native communities, and improve entry to wash vitality in areas the place it’s most wanted.”
This newest announcement builds on earlier first-round work by TNC, Solar Tribe, and Dominion Vitality to convey renewable vitality to Appalachia. Since 2021, Solar Tribe and Dominion Vitality have been engaged on plans to generate 140 MW of renewable vitality throughout eight websites within the Cumberland Forest. The primary venture, Wildcats Photo voltaic, is a ten MW array deliberate for Sensible County, Virginia. Anticipated to begin building by 2026, it’s projected to generate $800,000 in tax income for the neighborhood over its lifetime. Extra initiatives from the primary spherical are set to be on-line by 2029.
Learn extra: Renewables supplied 90% of recent US capability in 2024 – FERC
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