The federal Tennessee Valley Authority(TVA) has voted in favor a $216 million Shawnee solar farm project in Kentucky. Their goal is to transform a coal site at the former Shawnee Fossil Plant into a 100MW solar farm. Therefore, the solar infrastructure will be built atop the capped coal ash storage pit.
In an effort to combat global warming, the utility came up with this solar initiative and other plans in recent years. According to the TVA, the Shawnee solar farm would be the first pilot project of its kind.
The new solar project will utilize the land which previously served as a waste heap for the by-product of burning coal. Officials have mentioned that this model could also be used at other closed TVA coal ash sites. If this expansion moves forward, TVA expects the coal ash sites to produce up to 1,000 megawatts.
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Development plans for the Shawnee solar farm project
TVA mentioned that the project involves installing solar panels at Paducah’s 300-acre coal ash site. However, the installation process at the Shawnee solar farm will not affect the turf that caps the waste.
TVA officials also pointed out that the project can tap into the transmission infrastructure already in place at the plant. The former coal site which is still in the process of shutting down generates approximately 8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This is enough to power up to 540,000 homes.
TVA’s chief operating officer, Don Moul, said the new solar farm project could become operational within two years. But he pointed out that this timeframe was dependent on environmental and regulatory reviews. Moul also said this solar cap installation option will move the state closer to its renewable generation goals. But at the same time, it also helps with balancing the affordability, reliability, and resiliency on which customers depend.
Besides the Shawnee solar farm project, TVA is working on adding 10,000MW of solar power to its system by 2035. As a result, TVA has issued requests for proposals for up to 5,000 megawatts of carbon-free energy before 2029.
