Mon Power and Potomac Edison—subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp—have completed their second utility-scale solar project in West Virginia, installing 14,000 solar panels capable of generating 5.5 MW of power at a site in Rivesville, Marion County.
Rivesville Solar Project Generates 5.5 Megawatts of Clean Energy
Now home to nearly 14,000 solar panels, the Rivesville site in Marion County generates 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 power an average of 173 homes nationwide.
The new solar facility spans approximately 27 acres of company-owned land along Morgan Ridge Road, giving new purpose to a site that had been unused since the Rivesville Power Station was decommissioned in 2012. During construction, Mon Power and Potomac Edison employed 63 local union workers, and the solar panels, steel racking system, and electrical equipment 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 companies’ West Virginia solar program aligns with a 2020 bill passed by the state Legislature that allows electric companies to own and operate up to 200 megawatts of solar generation facilities. This expansion of renewable energy also promotes economic development, as a growing number of businesses require that a portion of their electricity come from renewable sources.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison are developing five solar projects that will collectively generate 50 megawatts of renewable energy. These projects mark the first phase of a broader goal to develop 200 megawatts. 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 that represent the environmental benefits of solar power, verifying that solar energy was produced on the buyers’ behalf. One SREC is created for each megawatt-hour of solar electricity generated.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison: Serving Customers in West Virginia & Maryland
Mon Power serves approximately 395,000 customers across 34 counties in West Virginia. Potomac Edison serves around 285,000 customers in seven Maryland counties 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. For participants, purchasing SRECs through the program adds 4 cents per kilowatt-hour to their standard rates.
FirstEnergy is committed to integrity, safety, reliability, and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems, serving over six million customers across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, and New York. The company’s transmission subsidiaries also manage approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines connecting the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.