A landfill is being repurposed as a site for one of the largest solar farm sites in West Virginia, according to Electrek.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison, both subsidiaries of FirstEnergy, completed their second utility-scale solar farm in the state in October 2024, a 5.5-megawatt farm near the city of Rivesville.
The first project in the state was the 18.9-megawatt Fort Martin Power Station in Maidsville, West Virginia, and much like the new Rivesville site, it it sits on a functioning coal plant.
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Rivesville is stationed on a brownfield site near a coal power station on 27 acres of coal ash disposal landfill that FirstEnergy representatives say has not been used since 2012, when the site was shuttered.
Since the state of West Virginia passed a law in 2020 authorizing electric utilities like Mon Power and Potomac Edison to own and operate up to 200 megawat of solar on such brownfield sites to help meet the state's electricity needs, this new project presents an incredible for both citizens and businesses in the state.
Not only did the project help generate jobs by employing 63 local union workers at the site, but it also comprises nearly 14,000 solar panels that connect and provide clean electricity to nearly 1,000 homes in the area.
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Congress' passing of the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, in 2022 provides even better incentives for homeowners in the state to switch to solar and create a cleaner energy environment.
The two utilities began construction in September for a 5.75-megawatt solar farm on the former ash landfill site in Marlowe, Berkeley County. They are seeking final approval from the Public Service Commission of West Virginia to construct an 11.5-megawatt solar site in Davis, Tucker County, and an 8.4-megawatt site in Weirton, Hancock County, for a total of five.
These projects are estimated to provide over 87,000 solar renewable energy credits for purchase by customers who support renewable energy in West Virginia. Taking advantage of these credits is easy, and homeowners in other states are still finding ways to make switching to solar worth their while.
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